P.I. Chronicles, Case 4

Nora, my loving wife and business partner, along with Sara and Anna, two of our full time investigators, were sitting with me in my office going over the video Sara had taken of Eric Fine the evening before. Sara said, "I was able to get the bar stool next to him. He was sitting just nursing his beer. After about an hour, he finished that beer and ordered another which he mostly just stared at.

"After about an hour, a woman walked into the bar, looked around, spotted him and sat down at the bar about ten stools down. She studied him, then me, then him again. I think she was trying to decide if we were together but, since we never spoke, she went back to studying just him.

"The bar stools on the other side of Mr. Fine were occupied but about twenty minutes after she arrived, the two people on the other side of Mr. Fine left. The woman picked up her drink and made a beeline for the stool next to him."

I asked, "She a pro?"

Sara answered, "I don't think so but she was certainly interested in Mr. Fine. There were other single men at the bar but as soon as the stool next to him was available she rushed over. She sits down and says to him, 'I guess we're both single tonight.' Mr. Fine looked at her but didn't say anything. Then she introduces herself, Ruth Brandon, but Mr. Fine doesn't give his name, just says, 'Sorry, I'm waiting for someone. Should be here any minute and I don't want to appear to be here with anyone.' She stares at him for a few seconds, finishes her drink and leaves.

"Mr. Fine waited, nursing his beer, until exactly 9:15. Then he pays up and leaves. I follow him out, follow him to the garage where he parks, then follow him home. That's it."

I asked, "So she was there for him but he didn't know her?"

"That's how it looked to me."

"OK, I think I know what's going on. Let's call Mrs. Fine and give her our report." I hit speaker on my desk phone and called Mrs. Fine. When she answered, I said, "I'm here with Ms. Michaels, our investigator. She followed Mr. Fine to the bar last night. He spent over two hours nursing his beer before leaving and driving home. At one point, he was approached by a woman but he dismissed her without any real interaction. Mrs. Fine, do you know a woman named Ruth Brandon?"

Mrs. Fine chuckled and said, "She's someone I know. I asked her to find the bar my husband went to and try to pick him up. She also reported he wasn't interested, said he was waiting for someone and couldn't be seen with anyone when that person arrived."

I said, "Last night was a washout. He went to a bar, drank two beers and left for home. Do you want us to continue?"

"Yeah. There's someone he's hoping to see. Let's keep going. I'll contact you the next time he tells me he'll be late getting home."

I asked, "Could he be seeing someone during the day? Leaving work for matinees?"

"No, his brother is in the office next to his. They're there together all day. If Eric was leaving the office regularly during the day for any significant amount of time, his brother, Jake, would tell me." We left it at that.

That was Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning Mrs. Hass called. She wanted another consultation. We arranged to meet that afternoon. After we got off, Nora asked, "What does she want now?"

We had found Mrs. Hass's daughter-in-law, Peggy, traveling with a rock band as their groupie. When her husband, Tony, showed up to the hotel where the band was staying and demanded his wife come home, the band threw her out and, as far as we know, Peggy and Tony had reconciled. I answered Nora, "I guess there's more drama with Tony and Peggy. She'll be here at 2pm. Sit in with me."

Nora did sit in. Mrs. Hass arrived, this time without Tony. I asked, "What can we do for you, Mrs. Hass?"

She said, "In spite of all you showed him about the despicable behavior of his wife, Tony decided to reconcile with Peggy. She gave him some story about how she was deceived, drugged, forced to stay with the band, forced to have sex and he believed it all. All nonsense, which is clear from the photos you retained of her screwing everyone in sight. But you can't talk to Tony sensibly about her."

"So what can we do for you?"

"I want her followed. I don't believe the baby that miscarried was Tony's. I believe she's screwing around behind his back and has been since high school. I want proof she's seeing someone, or many someone's, and I want that proof to be undeniable."

I said, "If we find what you want, how will it be different this time? I mean, we found more than enough proof of her infidelity when she was with the band. How will finding more infidelity affect anything? Tony's not going to change his mind about her."

"She gave him a story that she was coerced by the band and he believed her. If you can get proof that she's screwing around obviously of her own free will, he'll have to believe that proof." Mrs. Hass paused and then continued, "There are two things. Since he took her back after her clear infidelity, since Tony and Peggy reconciled and Tony agreed to restart the marriage, a judge may find that the past infidelity can no longer be used to trigger the pre-nup. Because they reconciled, her past behavior can't be used in a divorce now. There's even a word for that."

I interrupted, "Condonation."

"Right, condonation. So to use the pre-nup, we have to find further, current adultery. Our attorney says a judge probably won't throw out her past infidelity but we can't take the chance. And we won't need to: I'm sure she's still screwing around. All we have to do is catch her.

"Second, the real problem is Tony: We have to find proof of her infidelity that is so undeniable he'll have no choice but to divorce her. That's where you come in: Find that Peggy continues to cheat on Tony."

"OK, I need their current address, what cars she drives, what she does during the day; as much information you can give us about her."

"They live in an apartment I rent for them." She looked between Nora and me and said, "After they eloped, they graduated high school. Tony was accepted to the university here and I wanted him to go to college so I rented them an apartment. I thought Tony would live with us while he attended school but.... she got pregnant, they married, and they didn't want to live with us. So I got them an apartment."

I asked, "The apartment lease is in your name? You pay the rent?"

"Yes, as well as utilities. Tony has a trust fund from my husband's parents that I don't want him to touch. Other than that, neither of them has any income."

"So they're guests in your apartment."

"I guess."

"What about cars?"

"Tony has a car that I own. I bought her a car to use after they married."

"You own the car she drives?"

"Yes."

"What about their cell phones."

"Both their phones are on our plan."

"Who's primary on your cell phone plan?"

"My husband, I guess."

"What do Tony and Peggy do during the day."

"Tony's entering his senior year and wants to graduate after the fall semester so he's taking two courses this summer. One is at 10:30 and the other begins at 2pm and is over at 2:50. Five days a week.

"Peggy attends the state university here. She takes two or three courses every semester but usually drops one or two of them after a few weeks. It's summer so she's not taking any classes. My understanding is that she goes to the gym after Tony leaves in the morning, then hangs out with her friends until Tony gets home from school at about 3:30. She's always at home by the time Tony gets there and they're together from then on. Also together for the weekend. If she's screwing around, she's doing it after Tony leaves for school or with someone from the gym or when she's with her friends. Or all three."

"Do you know who these friends are?"

"No."

"Does Tony know them? Can you ask him about them?"

"These are evidently friends she's had since high school or even earlier. Tony doesn't know them; Tony went to a different high school than Peggy."

"Here's what I recommend. You're renting the apartment so, with your permission, I'd like to put in listening devices. Kitchen, living room and bedroom. Even though you're the lease holder, guests have certain rights to privacy but the court may find that since it's your apartment, you have a right to put in recording devices. Listening devices aren't as intrusive as cameras but a judge may still throw out any audio evidence we record of her infidelity. But at least Tony will hear what she's up to. Do we have your permission to put listening devices in your apartment?"

"Yes."

"Do you have keys to the apartment?"

"Yes. I have them with me."

"Please give them to Nora." She did.

"Same applies to her car. I'd like to put a listening device in her car but also a tracking device. We'll listen to her conversations and watch where she goes. Again, I need your permission to put these devices in the car you own."

"You have it."

"Car keys?"

"No, they're two sets, one set for each of them."

"Can you get a set? Breaking into cars is iffy because of car alarms."

"I'll try to figure out something."

I said, "Regarding her phone: Get the phone statements for the last three months. Let's see whom she's talking to and texting. You or your husband should be able to download those statements online. Just email them to Nora or me.

"I'll need their address and the description of her car. We'll get the devices installed as soon as we can and we'll start following her tomorrow."

"Tony can't know anything about this."

"He won't until you're ready to tell him." Mrs. Hass gave us all the information she had about Peggy, apartment address, description of Peggy's car, then provided a retainer and left.

I said to Nora, "What's Bud up to?"

"Skip traces."

"OK, this is more important and they can wait. Ask him to come in. Sara and Anna too. Try to get them all here together this afternoon."

Anna and Sara arrived at 4pm, a few minutes before Bud, our other full-time investigator, arrived. We all met in my office. I said, "OK, we have two things going that are a priority. First is Mr. Fine. We're waiting for Mrs. Fine to call with his next evening out."

Anna said, "My rib still hurts but I'm going stir crazy just sitting around. So if I don't have to fight anyone, I'll probably be OK." Anna had been shot in the side of her chest by Sergei, a Russian thug, who in turn was later shot and killed. The killer was never identified.

"Good, but let's take it slow. You can help Nora around the office and Bud will need help identifying the people Peggy is talking to. Mrs. Hass was in just before and she thinks Peggy is cheating on Tony and wants us to find out.

"Peggy goes to a gym in the morning and then hangs out with friends. She's evidently back home for good by 3:30pm weekdays when Tony arrives from school and she's with Tony all weekend. So we want to know what she's doing when Tony's at school. Sara, follow her to the gym, join the gym, and keep an eye on her there and then follow her until she's back home with Tony. Bud will put a tracker on her car so, if you lose her, you'll see where she is on your phone. We start tomorrow morning.

"Bud, put a tracking device under her car tonight. In addition to the tracker, I want you to put listening devices in their apartment. Nora has the keys to the apartment, their address and the details about her car. She leaves for the gym after Tony leaves for school so the apartment should be empty after about 10am tomorrow.

"I'd like to know whom she talks to when she's in the car but we don't have keys to her car. There may be a set in the apartment and Mrs. Hass will try to get us keys. Mrs. Hass rents the apartment and owns the car and we have her permission to put in the listening devices. In the meantime, I want you to listen in, see what Peggy has to say when Tony's not around. Mrs. Hass is also sending us Peggy's phone records for the past few months. With Anna's help, let's see whom she's calling and texting and see what you can find out about them. Questions, Bud? Anna?" They both shook their heads no.

"Good. Sara, Peggy is home for good by 3:30pm so when we get the call that Mr. Fine is going out for the evening, you should be finished watching Peggy and free to follow him around. Sara followed him to a bar on Monday and he told a woman who approached him that he was waiting for someone. Let's find out whom he's waiting for. Any questions?" No one had questions and Nora gave them addresses and the apartment keys to Bud.

The next afternoon, Bud reported that he had put a tracking device on Peggy's car and had placed the listening devices in their apartment. He couldn't find a set of car keys to Peggy's car but was listening to her in the apartment and watching where she drove. Nothing of interest so far. He had received the phone statements through Nora and he and Anna were putting repetitive phone numbers together with people.

After her first day of following Peggy, Sara arrived at the office just after 4 on Thursday. She had followed Peggy to the gym, where Peggy worked out from about 10:15 until 11:30. Working out was a social event for Peggy, as it is for a lot of people, but Sara reported Peggy didn't behave inappropriately or leave with anyone.

Sara said, "After the workout, Peggy went home, evidently to shower, change into a swim suit, and eat. Then she drove to a house with a swimming pool. There were two other young women whom Peggy spent the afternoon sunbathing with. While there, two guys about their age showed up to swim. There was some rough housing, throwing the girls in the pool, dunking them, maybe some inappropriate touching but nothing that shows any of them were hooking up. They all looked like old friends who have known each other forever. I have video if you want to look at it."

"How'd you get video without them seeing you?"

"The house next door is for sale and empty. I was able to film from an upstairs bedroom. Good view of the pool area. Fairly easy to get in an empty house and if a realtor showed up with a client, I'd be able to get out of there before they caught me."

"Sara, please don't tell me about the illegal things you do."

"Yes, Sir. I shouldn't film from the empty house anymore?"

"I didn't say that."

As Anna and Sara left, holding hands, Sara asked Anna, "Will you come with me to buy some new workout clothes? Mine are pretty old."

"I can't, Sweetie; I have a physical therapy appointment. Just don't buy any of those skin tight workout pants and just a sports bra. You're a married woman now and you can't wear clothes where everyone's ogling your tits and ass."

Sara smiled, "Not married yet." Anna stopped, dropped Sara's hand and stared angrily at her. Sara said, "Just kidding. I'm planning to work out in an old timey nun's habit. Head gear and all. Think I'll stand out at the gym?"

"No. I think a nun's habit will be perfect. No one will try to hit on you if they think you're a nun."

"Can I say I'm a lesbian nun?"

"No. Actually just ignore anyone who talks to you. Pretend you're a deaf nun." Finally, they left.

Going back over Peggy's phone records, Bud and Anna discovered that Peggy received a collect call from the men's prison almost every day around 1pm. The calls lasted around ten minutes. Bud and Anna were trying to identify who it was calling Peggy from prison.

Mrs. Fine called that Friday afternoon to report that Mr. Fine planned to go out for drinks with the boys that night. I called Sara, watching Peggy at the pool with her friends, and told her that she'd be spending the evening with Mr. Fine. She said she'd be in to pick up gear.

Sara arrived around 4:30pm, dressed like a middle manager and ready to follow Mr. Fine to a bar full of middle managers. She told us there was nothing new with Peggy: Same routine: gym, lunch, the pool with her friends and then home.

I asked, "Sara, if you follow Mr. Fine again tonight, will he recognize you?"

"He was so intent on his beer that I doubt he even noticed me sitting next to him. Maybe glanced at me when I sat down but he never tried to engage with me. Even if he noticed me, I'm just another regular at the bar. Shouldn't be a problem."

Anna said, "Maybe Sara could wear the camera glasses. That might give her a different look."

I thought, 'Yeah, Sara is maybe the most beautiful woman I've ever seen actually walking around and the glasses aren't going to change that, but I said, "That should work."

Sara said, "I'm also going to take the big pocketbook with the camera. The clutch really doesn't fit if I'm going to the bar after just getting off work. I have my gym clothes so I can stuff my gym shoes in the bag in case Mr. Fine decides to walk somewhere."

Anna, who'd been in the office all day coordinating with Bud working from home, asked, "You have your workout clothes? Did you buy the nun's habit?"

Sara said, "I couldn't find a nun's habit so I bought really short, really tight, workout shorts that don't quite cover the bottom half of my butt and a tiny, tiny, workout bra that barely covers my nipples. That's what the girls at the gym are wearing these days and I certainly want to fit in there."

I thought, 'I'd better check on Sara Monday morning at the gym. Make sure she's not missing anything Peggy might be up to there. And watch Sara work out, get some pointers.'

Anna yelled, "WHAT?!?" Sara was able to console Anna by telling her that the workout clothes she bought were really quite conservative; no butt or boobs hanging out. She'll show them to Anna after she's finished with Mr. Fine.

I thought, 'I guess then there's no reason to go to the gym Monday.'

Anna left for home and Sara left to watch Mr. Fine. Bud was still trying to find out who's been calling Peggy from prison. Nora and I went home.

Sara texted at about 11pm: "Mr. Fine met up with someone. I have video. Do you want to meet at the office tomorrow? If so, let me know when."

I texted back: "Great! 10am tomorrow."

Saturday morning, Nora and I met with Sara. Anna came with Sara and Sara walked the three of us through watching Mr. Fine last night and the video she took. She said, "Mr. Fine left his coffee shop and started down the street. I figured he was on his way to one of the bars he frequents so I got out of my car and started to follow him from pretty far back. But at the end of the block he got into a car. I started back to get my car to follow them but the car he got in didn't move. Mr. Fine and the man behind the wheel were just talking."

I asked, "Gay hookup?"

Sara said, "No, I don't think so. I walked back toward my car, crossed the street, walked back up the block, crossed again so I could approach their car from the front. I got pictures of them together in the car, a good picture of the driver's face and his tag number. Mr. Fine was holding a tablet and he and the driver watched something on the tablet and talked. I looked up his tag last night and the car belongs to the William Powell Detective Agency. The business address is downtown."

At that point, Nora's cell rang and she answered on speaker. It was Mrs. Fine asking for a report on Mr. Fine's activities the night before. I shook my head no and Nora told her we're waiting to hear now and we'll call back when we know something. They got off.

I said, "Let's look at the video you took." Sara pulled it up and we watched. I recognized the driver. "That's Bill Powell. I know him. Used to be a cop when I was still on the job. Dirty cop who eventually had to leave the force. Must have gotten his P. I. license and set up shop."

Anna asked, "Why was he dirty?"

"Let's see; it's been a while. Powell was a bagman for the mob. Detectives aren't supervised like patrol officers and patrol supervisors so they got him a detective's shield so he had the free time to pick up and distribute money to cops who were on the pad.

"What else? Oh yeah: Powell was also known for busting prostitutes and then letting them go if they provided services in the back seat of his car. The brass objected to none of that until he made a mistake they couldn't ignore. He was working robberies, at least he was assigned there: He didn't do much actual police work. Anyway, they got a robbery call and somehow Powell ended up with it.

"A couple had come home from vacation to find their house robbed. Mostly jewelry, cash, their TV, stuff like that if I remember correctly. Powell drives to the scene. The wife is home alone, the husbands at work or out somewhere. Powell comes on to the woman who rejects his advances. Powell gets pissed and starts implying the couple didn't get robbed and that it's an insurance scam. Starts asking about their current financial situation and tells her that when he has proof it's a swindle, the wife is going to wish she was nicer to him. Finally tells her if she wants him to write a report that they were robbed and the stolen items can't be recovered, he's willing to do that but she knows what she has to do. Otherwise, his report will indicate that he suspects a swindle and they won't get a dime of the insurance. She tells him to fuck off.

The wife's or the husband's sibling, or some close relative, I don't remember which, is wealthy with political connections. Big donor to the mayor and complains to the mayor about Powell: they want Powell fired. The chief of police reports to the mayor, the mayor reports to donors and shit runs downhill so Powell was told his days as a cop were over. I don't remember exactly how he left but I think he was allowed to retire.

Nora asked, "How do you know all this? And how'd he expect to get away with that?"

"He was a cop and expected to be protected regardless of what he did. The Thin Blue Line. What he told the brass was that he thought it really was insurance fraud and, when he suggested that to the wife, she suggested they sleep together as payment for a favorable police report. He of course refused. Most of the time, that story would have been enough to keep him out of trouble: 'He said, she said'.

"I had just made detective and transferred into Powell's precinct a few months before all this went down with Powell. Remember, Nora, when I started working out of the 5th precinct?" Nora nodded. "Everyone knew the story and the feeling among my fellow officers was that poor, stupid Bill just picked the wrong people to fuck with: he was unlucky. So now he's a P. I. I'm surprised we haven't run into him before."

Nora said, "We're investigating Mr. Fine for Mrs. Fine and Mr. Fine is investigating someone. Mrs. Fine?"

"I guess. I'm going to have to discuss this with Powell. That should prove interesting. Sara, what happened then? Did Mr. Fine and Powell leave together?"

"I took the video you saw and went back to my car so I could follow them if they left. Instead, after another fifteen minutes, Mr. Fine got out of the car carrying a folder, the Powell guy drove away, and Mr. Fine got his car and drove home. He didn't go to a bar."

Nora asked, "Should we tell Mrs. Fine about this? She's waiting to hear from us."

I said, "Call her back and tell her that it looks like Mr. Fine hired a P. I. and that we're running that down. Let's see what Bill Powell has to say."

Anna said she did some research on the family Fine: "Eric Fine and Emily Fine, the Mrs. Fine who hired us, have been married for twelve years. Jake Fine is Eric's younger brother by two years. Jake got divorced about eighteen months ago. I've requested a copy of Jake's divorce settlement from the court but who knows when we'll see that.

"Eric and Jake started with two coffee shop franchises about fifteen years ago and have built that up into four stores currently. I downloaded their public filings from the state's Secretary of State's website. Not much there. Eric, Jake and Emily are officers of the company and a local attorney is their registered agent."

Anna continued, "I think my next move is to try to get to know Jake better. He's no longer married and maybe he'll talk to me about the family dynamic."

Sara asked, "What are you suggesting?"

Anna smiled and said, "Maybe some pillow talk, if that's what it takes. All part of the job."

I said, "There's not going to be any pillow talk. The next move is I talk to Powell."

Sara grumbled, "Damn right there's not going to be any pillow talk." Sara and Anna were sitting on my office couch together. Sara crossed her arms and turned her back on Anna.

Anna moved closer to Sara, put her arms around her and said, "No pillow talk except with you" while kissing the back of Sara's neck and head. Sara turned and they hugged and then started to kiss.

I said, "I'm sick of this. You're both fired. Unprofessional behavior." They ignored me and continued kissing.

Nora, who'd been sitting in the visitor's chair, got up, came around the desk and sat in my lap. She said, "Don't you love watching them; two people so in love. Just makes my heart swell. They're like us."

I thought, 'I'm outnumbered. Too many fucking women in this office. I'd try to get Bud to come in more but Bud would probably think they're cute too. I can't win.'

Monday morning, Sara was following Peggy around again and Nora and I were in the office. Bud was working from home. We hadn't heard from Anna. I called the William Powell Detective Agency and made an appointment to see Powell that afternoon. I told them it was an infidelity case.

Bud called about 10:30: "I haven't been able to identify the guy calling Peggy from prison. I'm still working on it."

"Anything off the audio we're recording? About the prison guy or anything else?"

"No. In the phone statements we got from Mrs. Hass going back three months, she gets a collect call from the prison almost every weekday and always around 1pm. 1pm weekdays, and only weekdays, when Peggy's in the car on her way to hanging out with her friends. We aren't recording in the car."

"OK, I'll press Mrs. Hass for car keys." I told him to let me know when he finds something and we got off.

Then Anna arrived at the office: "I got a call from Nadia, Yuri's wife, last night. Yuri wants to see me, says it's important." Yuri is Anna's twin brother and a gangster, currently in jail awaiting trial. Anna continued, "I made an appointment to see him today at 1pm but I have to get to the jail by noon and with all the waiting, I'll probably be there at least a couple of hours."

Anna looked troubled so I asked, "What's the matter, Anna?"

"The call came from Nadia. Nadia has never been involved with Yuri's business and Yuri's got fifty people who he can use to get a message to me but he had Nadia call me. That probably means it's something personal or family related. Or something he doesn't want his associates to know about. That worries me." Anna left to see Yuri.

I drove to see Bill Powell. I was shown into his office and he looked at me and then looked closer. He wasn't sure if he'd seen me before or not. He asked, very friendly, "What can I do for you, Mr. James."

I gave him my business card which he looked at. Now guarded, he said, "I thought you looked familiar. You used to be a cop, right? You were assigned to my precinct about the time I retired." I nodded. Not as friendly, he threw my business card on his desk and asked, "What do you want?"

"We may have overlapping interests. You were hired by Mr. Fine I guess to see what Mrs. Fine is up to and I was hired by Mrs. Fine to watch Mr. Fine."

I waited to see what he'd say. He stared at me and finally said, "So what? Why are you here?"

"I thought we might be able to help each other."

"Why would I want to help you?"

"If we share information, I may not have to tell Mrs. Fine that Mr. Fine hired you."

"Go ahead and tell her. It's already too late. We've got the goods on Mrs. Fine."

I started to get up, "OK, I'll tell my client what you said."

He said, "Wait. Why did Mrs. Fine hire you?"

I sat back down, "Why did Mr. Fine hire you?" He just stared at me and said nothing, waiting for me to fill the silence. I stayed silent. He finally said, "Fuck it; it doesn't matter now. Mr. Fine hired me to find out if his wife is cheating on him."

"And?"

"We set up cameras in their living room, kitchen and bedroom. We have her on video fucking Mr. Fine's brother, Jake." The creep smiled and said, "Mrs. Fine is a fine looking woman and very adventurous in bed. I gave the videos of her to Mr. Fine but I have copies. Do you want to watch?"

"Not particularly. Mrs. Fine hired us to find out if Mr. Fine is cheating. Any idea what's going on there?"

"Mr. Fine just said he wanted proof she's cheating on him and with his brother. He didn't say why but it's obvious he wants it for a divorce. But Mrs. Fine and the brother talk in bed after sex. The two brothers are equal partners in the coffee shops. Mrs. Fine and the brother believe that if they can find proof that Mr. Fine has been unfaithful, the divorce will give her some equity in the coffee shops. She and the brother will hold the majority of shares, force Mr. Fine out, and Mrs. Fine and the brother will ride off into the sunset. Have you found evidence that Mr. Fine is cheating? I have lots of video of Mrs. Fine fucking the brother."

"No, we've found no infidelity on Mr. Fine's part. He goes to a bar, sits and nurses his drink and goes home. He doesn't talk to anyone."

"Yeah, that was the plan we came up with. Neither of the brothers can leave work for extended periods regularly during the day without raising suspicion. We came up with the plan that Mr. Fine would tell his wife he'll be home late, around 10pm, he's heading out to a bar drinking with his buddies, hoping that his wife and brother would hook up in his home for the cameras. He began going out for drinks a couple of weeks ago. Mrs. Fine finally decided that, when he went out, she could rely on the fact that he wouldn't be home until 10 so she and Jake Fine started fucking at the Fine residence. While he's at the bar Mrs. Fine and the brother fuck mostly in Mrs. Fine's bed but occasionally in the living room or in the kitchen. All on camera."

"Mr. Fine knows he's being filmed in his bedroom?"

"He moved into the guest bedroom weeks ago. Their marriage hasn't been good for a while."

"And Mr. Fine is gathering evidence of her infidelity to use in a divorce?"

"Exactly. And to sue his brother for alienation of affection. In this fucked up state you can't divorce for infidelity but you can sue the affair partner for alienation of affection. Makes no sense but..... And Fine's attorney told him infidelity may carry some weight in regards to asset distribution and spousal support. And I guess he's hoping that his law suit against his brother can get him some of his brother's equity in the coffee shops. At the very least we got Mrs. Fine and his brother on video. That usually makes the unfaithful spouse more agreeable to divorce terms.

"Anyway, Mr. Fine has the video of her with his brother and my understanding is that he's seeing his lawyer today. My guess: she's not getting any part of Mr. Fine's business although his brother certainly is getting the business from her. She's so wild in bed and so hot I'm going to sell her greatest moments to a guy who publishes amateur porn online. He's willing to pay a lot for video of her but we're still negotiating. Mrs. Fine is going to be an amateur porn star."

Why would Powell tell me about his plans to sell the film of Mrs. Fine? The Thin Blue Line. He thinks I'll admire his cleverness and enterprise: Not only is he billing Mr. Fine for his time but he's making a profit by selling what he filmed. There's always the Thin Blue Line, even for ex-cops. As a former cop, I can admire his ingenuity or be jealous of the money he's going to make but one cop will never get in the way of another cop's grift and never, ever rat him or her out. It never occurred to him that I would cross that Line. I thanked Powell for his candor and left.

I briefed Nora on my meeting with Powell and she said, "We should tell Mrs. Fine about the P. I. Mr. Fine hired and what he has on her."

"I agree; I'll call her now." I did. Mrs. Fine answered and said, "About time you called me back. Did Eric really hire a P. I.? And have you found out anything about whom my husband is seeing?"

"He hired a P. I. to get dirt on you. I talked to the P. I. and he has very explicit video of you and Mr. Fine's brother having sex. He told me that Mr. Fine is going to see an attorney today. He's planning to divorce you."

Nothing but silence for a while, then Mrs. Fine asked, "Where was the video taken?"

"Mr. Fine approved the P. I. putting cameras in your house."

"Can he do that?"

"His house. Talk to your lawyer: You may be able to keep your husband from using the videos in court but your husband has the videos. The P. I. he hired believes Mr. Fine's also going to sue his brother for alienation of affection."

"Shit, shit, shit." Another long pause. "Have you found anything on my husband?"

"No. I don't think he's cheating on you. He met with the P. I. Friday night and then just drove home. Didn't go to a bar. His P. I. said they had planned for Mr. Fine to go to bars and just sit to give you and his brother opportunities to...... get together. His P. I. also knows that we're following Mr. Fine so your husband knows that now too. I honestly don't think it's worthwhile to continue to follow your husband but we'll do what you want. What do you want us to do?"

"I need to talk to my attorney. I'll let you know about continuing with Eric."

"One other thing, Mrs. Fine. The P. I. that Mr. Fine hired is planning to sell the film he took of you and Mr. Fine's brother having sex to someone who publishes amateur porn online."

"Jesus fucking Christ. Can you give me the P. I.'s information? I'll let my attorney handle that too." I gave her the information and we got off.

Anna arrived back at the office right before I did. Sara was already there. Anna looked like she'd seen a ghost. I asked, "What's up? Did you see Yuri?"

Anna hesitated and then said, "Yeah, I saw Yuri. Not good news. Sergei has two brothers, Boris and Oleg, who are here to bring Sergei's body back to Russia. They're also here to avenge their brother's death. They went to see Uncle Ivan for help identifying who killed Sergei. My dear uncle told them it was me and where to find me. Yuri says that Uncle Ivan believes it's a disgrace for him to have a niece who's a lesbian and marrying a woman. He also blames me for his being in jail because I didn't tell them that their accountant was talking to the FBI. So telling Oleg and Boris it was me who killed their brother gets rid of me, someone who not only betrayed him but has made what he believes are disgraceful life choices which embarrass him. It also gives him the opportunity to do Boris and Oleg a favor at no cost to him which the brothers will have to repay someday."

Nora asked, "Why is Yuri telling you all this?"

"I got the impression that there's some bad blood between Yuri and Uncle Ivan but what Yuri told me is he thinks it's worse for the family if someone kills me with no retaliation than to have a sister who's a lesbian. Yuri isn't happy that I'm gay but he doesn't think that killing me is what's best for the family: Makes them look weak if a close family member is bumped off and nothing is done about it. I'm also his twin sister so....... I guess there's some feeling there.

"Yuri can't do anything about the brothers, he can't openly go against Uncle Ivan's wishes, but he can warn me they're coming for me as long as it doesn't get back to Uncle Ivan. Which is why he had Nadia tell me he wanted to see me. And he told me where they're staying, a hotel downtown, and what they look like. They're evidently here for a few more days before they take Sergei's body back to Russia."

Sara said, "But you didn't kill Sergei. I know that for a fact."

"Doesn't matter what's true. What matters is what Uncle Ivan thinks is best for Uncle Ivan."

I asked, "When are they supposed to go home?"

"Yuri said Thursday or Friday, depends on getting the body released, but they can extend their stay. Flying a body out of the country involves a lot of bureaucratic bullshit and the brothers can fuck around with the paperwork and stay longer if they need to. They won't leave until I'm dead.

"Yuri says these guys are very important men back in Russia. Very dangerous, very bad men whom I should take seriously. And Yuri doesn't exaggerate."

Sara asked, "What do we do?"

Nora said, "Kill them before they get anywhere near Anna."

All three of us stared at Nora for a while. Then Sara asked, "How do we do that?"

I said, "Let's walk through this. First, I want both of you to stay with us at our house; we have plenty of room. If you don't want to do that, get a hotel room and don't go home but I think it's safer if we're all together. They must know Anna works here so, Anna, don't come into the office again until this is resolved.

"Second, we all carry 24/7: locked and loaded. Anna will give us the description of the brothers Yuri gave her and if any of us see them, we shoot first and worry about IDing them later. I don't want them grabbing one of us to find out where Anna is. Everyone agreed?" Nodding heads all around.

"Last, what's the best way to kill them? We can't do it in the hotel because hotels have cameras all over the place. Anna, which hotel did Yuri tell you."

"The Royal North on King St."

"Anyone know this place? Does it have a parking garage?"

Anna replied, "Yes, but I'm sure there're cameras in the parking garage too."

"But it's darker in garages. Nora and I will scope out the hotel tonight. See if we can come up with a plan. Yuri didn't say what kind of car they're driving, did he?"

"No, but it would have to be a rental."

Nora asked, "Do you guys want to stay with us? Separate rooms and no sex in our home until you're married, no sinning under our roof, but we'd love to have you."

The three of us stared at Nora like she'd grown a second head. Nora burst out laughing, "The look on your faces. You guys can fuck all you want but no loud screaming and moaning all night. I need my beauty sleep."

Sara looked at Anna who nodded. Sara said, "Thank you; we'd love to stay with you."

"OK, Anna, here are the keys to our house." I handed over my set of keys. "Why don't you go there now and make yourself at home. Sara, why don't you go home and get what you need for a few days for you and Anna. Where are your guns?"

Anna said, "We have them with us."

"Sara, just be careful when you go home. Better, Nora and I will go with you to your apartment and then we'll head to the hotel where the brothers are staying. We may be out all night so don't worry about us." Anna gave her a list of what to pack for her.

As we were leaving, Mrs. Fine called. I let it go to voicemail. I tried her back from the car but again she didn't answer. I left another message.

Nora and I followed Sara to their apartment while Anna drove to our house. In the car, Nora said, "It won't take much for these brothers to figure out where we live and that Anna's with us."

I said, "We'll just have to resolve our problems with the brothers before then."

Nora said, "I could buy workout clothes like Sara described. Would you like that? Or are you more into a nun's outfit?"

I said, "We'll stop at a sport's shop and buy you workout clothes on the way to the hotel. You can wear them while we see about the brothers. It'll probably be a long night and we'll need something to occupy ourselves. I can't think of anything better than getting you out of gym clothes."

"You'll do no such thing."

"Wanna bet? After we buy your workout gear and some other things we're going to need tonight, we have to stop and pick up a couple of throw away guns. Guns that are untraceable."

"Where do we do that?"

"I know a guy." We did get Nora some workout clothes. Wearing them anywhere but a bedroom would be indecent. They were perfect. We also bought ski masks, baseball caps, bicycle gloves, black hoody sweatshirts and full length opaque plastic summer raincoats. Then, while Nora waited in the car, I bought two guns, a.38 for Nora and a.45 for me, and ammunition from a guy who's been selling illegal weapons since I was still a cop. Then to the hotel.

The hotel has a garage with three floors. We drove through looking for rental cars. Lots of cars and a rental isn't that easy to spot. I said, "Let me try the front desk." We parked and that's where I went. There was one person at the desk checking a couple in. I waited until he was finished with them and asked, "You have a Boris and Oleg Mikhailov staying here?"

Without even looking at his computer, he said, "Yes, Sir. Should I ring their room for you?"

"No." I put a $100 bill on the check-in desk but kept my hand on it: "Did they give you their car information when they registered?"

"No, Sir. You get a ticket when you enter the parking garage. We stamp it here at the front desk so you don't have to pay when you drive out of the garage. Non-guests have to pay." I pulled the $100 back toward me and picked it up. The desk clerk continued, "Sir, I did see them pull into the garage when I arrived for work this morning. They're driving a new Audi A6. It's black. I noticed the license plate was from New York, not from here."

"You know them by sight? And you know what an A6 looks like?"

"I checked them in when they arrived. They're hard to forget: two very scary looking dudes."

"Why scary?"

"Both are big, burly guys. One of them had a scar from just above his right eyebrow to just above his lip. I'm not sure the eye on that side of his face is even real. Looks really weird. The other one is missing most of his.... left?, yeah, left ear. Scary looking dudes." His description matched what Yuri told Anna.

"And the car? How do you know it's an A6?"

"My mother's current husband drives the same A6 but in a different color." I gave him the $100 and asked him not to mention that I was asking questions about them. He said, "Their English isn't very good but even if it was perfect I'm not going to tell them anything. The last thing I want is for them to ask me questions about you. Or about anything for that matter. As I said, two very scary dudes." I asked him to stamp the parking ticket we got when we pulled into the garage. He looked around but he stamped it.

I went back to Nora waiting in the car. I said, "New Audi A6. Black with New York plates."

"You can rent Audi's?"

"Seems so."

We drove slowly through the parking garage until we spotted their Audi on the garage's upper level. I got out to look at it. On the front passenger seat was a picture of Anna in her police uniform with her home address written in pen. I had brought a tracking device which I put under their rear bumper. We found a parking spot that was fairly dark near the garage exit and waited.

I told Nora, "There's a picture of Anna in her cop uniform on their front seat. Probably got it from a cop."

"Yeah, well, that's why you left the cops."

"Are you going to put on the workout clothes we just bought?"

"Why, so you can take them off me?"

"If you put them on and there are witnesses tonight, no one will remember your face."

"I think I have a nice, memorable face."

"You have a beautiful face but no one's going to be looking at anything but your beautiful body in those skimpy shorts and top."

"So if we're arrested I'll have to do a lineup in just my gym clothes? The witnesses and all those cops staring at my tits and ass trying to identify me?"

"Sounds like something you'd enjoy."

"I would not!" Then Nora thought about it and said, "Well, maybe a little." Then she continued, "You know, I've been thinking. You're a wonderful lover, the best I've ever been with, Darling."

"The only lover you've ever been with, Darling."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Just to see how wonderful you really are, maybe I should try some other men. I can compare them to you and their shortcomings in the lovemaking department will get me to appreciate you even more than I do now, Darling."

"How many other men before you realize there's no one better, Darling?"

"I thought it would be an ongoing thing. Keep reaffirming just how wonderful you are, Darling."

"OK, Darling."

Nora scrunched up her face, and said, "OK? What the fuck does OK mean? Darling."

"I could also confirm what a wonderful lover you are by comparing you to other women. Their deficiencies would make me appreciate you that much more too, Darling."

"That won't be necessary. We both know you're never going to find anyone better than me. It would be a waste of your time. No, my experimenting would make me love you even more but there's absolutely no reason for you to be with other women, Darling."

She paused, looked over at me and said, "I believe that every man has just so many shots in him. I don't want those shots wasted on some other woman when I'm here and ready. All your shots belong to me. You're fifty-four and I don't think you have many left. It's already difficult to get you up and ready, Darling."

"It is not, Darling."

"I have to work on you with my hand for hours before you're hard, Darling."

"You do not. I'm hard in a few seconds, Darling."

"Seems like hours to me. Let's bet. Get it out now and we'll time how long it takes to get you hard, Darling."

"Timing me? That's really putting a lot of pressure on me, Darling."

"Excuses, excuses. I bet I can get other men up in no time, Darling."

"I wouldn't count on it: you do it all wrong, Darling."

"I do not. Get it out. Show me what I'm doing wrong, Darling."

"We have to be ready when we see the brothers, Darling."

"Get it out, Darling."

I did. Nora knows exactly what to do and I was hard in no time. I said, "See. I'm all set and ready to go, Darling: What are you going to do about it?"

Nora said, "We can't waste that, even though it'll be one less shot we'll have in the future, Darling." Nora put her mouth on me and a little later I shot.

Nora and I have sat in the car together doing surveillance probably hundreds of times over the years and we need to entertain ourselves during hours of surveillance. We keep a roll of paper towels in the car for cleanup. After we cleaned each other up, Nora got in my lap on the passenger side. I asked, "Still want other men, Darling?"

"Don't be silly. I just wanted you to pull out your dick so I could play with it and figured I'd do it in a creative way. I know you always accept a challenge and you know how I love playing with you. All I want is you, Darling."

"So the experimentation with other people is off, Darling?"

"It was never on, Darling."

"Too bad. I was looking forward to seeing what other women had to offer, Darling."

"Yeah, that's never going to happen, Darling."

I said, "We have to load the guns we just bought. Let's put on the gloves we bought before we touch anything." We loaded the guns.

I was thinking about seeing if Nora would let me remove her shorts and panties, maybe provide her an oral experience. I had gotten her shorts off and her panties down to her ankles when the brother's Audi appeared. Nora quickly pulled up her panties, climbed back behind the wheel and we followed them out of the garage. They drove to a Russian restaurant, Yuri's Russian restaurant. They parked in the restaurant parking lot and went in. We parked on the street three blocks down.

I said, "Let's put on the sweatshirts and baseball caps. Also the gloves. Leave your own.38 in the car and take the one we just bought. We're going to walk down the street where the restaurant is, me on the side of the restaurant and you on the other side. Look for cameras. Also, look for dark spaces between the restaurant entrance and the parking lot where you can stand but not be seen. You're going to be hiding on the opposite side of the street from the restaurant."

In our rush to follow the brothers, Nora was still in just her panties. We got out of the car and, while Nora was pulling the hoody sweatshirt over her head. I said, "Maybe put your shorts back on. A woman walking around in her panties is probably too noticeable."

Nora looked down at herself and said, "Well, for sure no one's going to be looking at my face."

"So you'd be doing the lineup in just your very sexy panties."

"I'd never be convicted."

Yuri's restaurant was in the middle of the block. Luckily, there was only one bank at the far corner across the street. Banks have cameras. No camera outside Yuri's restaurant; I'm sure he doesn't want a video record of the people who visit him. The other businesses were small shops, all closed for the night, with no cameras anywhere. At least none that I could spot. Also, because the shops were closed, there was no foot traffic; only the occasional patrons of Yuri's restaurant.

I found a doorway that was dark enough to hide me several feet up the block from the restaurant's entrance. Nora waved at me from across the street and then backed into an opening that completely hid her. I gave her a thumb's up. I went to retrieve the tracking device from the A6.

We went back to the car. "Let's get rid of the hoodies and ball caps and put on the raincoats and take the ski masks. Leave on the gloves. The raincoat has a hood so put that up over your head. Here's what I think: We each hide in the places we found. When they leave the restaurant, they'll head to the parking lot which is in the direction you'll be hiding. Make sure the raincoat hood is up and the ski mask is pulled down over your face. Have your gun out and ready but behind you. You shouldn't need it but just in case.

"When they leave, I'll come out from where I'll be hiding and then you step out of your hiding place. Don't come out until you see me but when you do, make sure they see you, are looking at you. Maybe bang on one of the parked cars so they'll turn toward you."

"I could flash them, Darling. Leave them with a pleasant memory as they go off into the great beyond."

"Nora, you're always thinking of the happiness of others and I love that about you but you're fifty-three and a well-respected member of the community: you can't keep showing everyone your hooters."

"I have hooters, Darling?"

"Yes, Darling, you have hooters."

"Darling, what are hooters?"

"Those small bumps on your chest, Darling."

"They are not that small!"

"Darling, just try to keep your shirt on until we're alone together."

"They're not small. They may be feeling the effects of gravity a little but they're not small."

"No, Darling, they're not small. I shouldn't have said that. They're beautiful, just like everything else about you. I don't see it, but if they're feeling the effects of gravity, I just love gravity. They're perfect. Can we go back to talking about killing the brothers now?"

"Yes, Darling, but don't say 'hooters.' Not classy at all."

"Yes, Darling. Bosoms, boobs and breasts from now on. OK, the brothers: You're going to distract them, hopefully they'll stop to look over at you. Let them see you but keep behind the engine block of one of the parked cars. When the shooting starts, drop down behind the car.

"I'll come out of my hiding place behind them and shoot them. I'll keep shooting until I'm sure they're both dead. Once the shooting stops, get the hell out of there. It's Yuri's restaurant and the men who work for Yuri will come out to investigate with guns drawn. You want to be gone by then so run back to the car. On the way, take off the raincoat and ski mask and wait for me in the car. I'm going to go in the opposite direction, wander around until I'm sure no one's following me and then I'll meet you at the car. We'll figure out where to dump the clothes and guns. How does that sound?"

"What if the brothers come out of the restaurant with someone else? Other people."

"Depends who it is and where they are in relation to the brothers. I'll decide to go through with it or not. You don't come out until you see me. If I don't come out of my hiding place, you don't either. We'll wait until they're gone and decide what to do next. We'll lose them but I'm betting they're planning to visit the girls' apartment but not until much later tonight. Probably like 3 or 4am. We'll wait for them there. Any questions?"

"Why can't I shoot them?"

"You'll shoot the next ones."

"OK, but I'm holding you to that."

"Yes, Darling." We changed into raincoats, put our ski masks in our raincoat pockets and went to wait for the brothers Mikhailov to leave the restaurant.

It happened more or less as I described to Nora. We waited in our hiding places, ski masks on, and watched men come out of the restaurant for a smoke singularly or in pairs. Finally, the two brothers left the restaurant, alone, and I came out of my hiding place behind them. Nora came out and yelled something. They paused to look at her and I emptied the throw away.45 into them. I turned and went back up the block and walked around, taking off the ski mask and raincoat, until I was sure no one was following me. Then I went to the car and Nora and I left. We threw the clothes in a Target dumpster on the way home and dumped the guns, after we took out the bullets, down a sewer drain. We drove home, listening to the news about a shooting where two men were killed.

When we got home, the girls were in bed and Nora and I showered together. Then we went to bed. Nora said I owed her oral. I was too tired to argue so Nora got her oral.

The next day the killing of the Mikhailov's was all over the news. The police said that they thought it was a mob related hit. I guess that's right. Anna and Sara never mentioned it except that, over breakfast the next morning, Sara asked, "What should we say the four of us were eating for dinner last night when the brothers were killed?"

Nora answered, "Linguini with clam sauce."

Anna said, "I'm allergic to seafood, including clams."

Sara rolled her eyes and said, "Jesus. Maybe just don't mention that to the cops."

I said, "That's OK. How about we say we had cheeseburgers and salad. Will that work, Anna?"

Anna was staring daggers at Sara but said, "Yeah, that works." Unfortunately, the conversation didn't end there.

Sara: "I don't eat red meat. Or gluten for that matter; the hamburger buns." Everyone stared at Sara, who just shrugged. Anna's turn to roll her eyes.

Nora: "We don't have salad stuff. Or hamburger meat. Or hamburger buns for that matter. That's not a proper dinner for guests anyway. I'm not going to tell anyone that I served cheeseburgers to my guests. It wasn't a fucking barbecue."

Me: "All of you understand that this is an imaginary dinner the four of us had last night. We didn't really eat together."

Nora: "You can't say we just served anything to our guests. It has to be believable."

Sara: "We could say we had sushi. Takeout. It doesn't have to be fish so Anna could eat it. I like sushi."

Anna: "I hate sushi. Why would you say that?" Why would you even suggest sushi?"

Sara: "How was I supposed to know that you don't like sushi?"

Anna: "You're supposed to know. We're getting married."

Sara: "How come you didn't know that I don't eat red meat or eat gluten?"

Anna: "I did. I just didn't think it was important. After all, we really didn't eat dinner with Nick and Nora last night. It's just for an alibi."

Sara: "But it was important that you can't eat clams and don't like sushi?"

I'd had enough. I got up from the table. Nora asked, "Where are you going? We have to decide what we ate."

Me: I'm getting a headache and I'm going to lie down."

Nora: "Do you want me to get you some aspirin, Honey?"

Me: "It's an environmental headache. I think some distance from the current surroundings will do wonders for my head. Decide among yourselves what we didn't actually eat last night. Just so you know, I'll eat anything."

Sara to Anna: "What's an environmental headache?"

Anna to Sara: "I have no idea. You don't suppose he's talking about us, do you?"

Sara to Anna: "Why would he be talking about us? We didn't do anything; we're just deciding what we had for dinner."

Anna to Sara: "Didn't have."

Sara: "Right."

I left the room. I spent a half hour reading reports online about the killing of the two brothers last night. The cops are still going with a mob murder. Then I returned to the kitchen. Should have been enough time to come up with one dinner that everyone can agree on and that we never ate.

I reentered the kitchen to find the three women agreeing. Nora was saying, "I think it's perfect." Sara, Anna and Nora were all smiles, very excited.

I interrupted, "What did you decide?"

Nora said, "The resort at the lake. The ceremony can be held right next to the water."

Sara: "If the weather holds. If not, we can have the ceremony right inside; we'd still have a view of the lake through those huge windows."

It took a second to realize they were talking about Sara's and Anna's wedding in a couple of months. I said, "A decision about the meal we didn't eat last night."

Nora: "Of course: Chicken breasts, string beans, and mashed potatoes."

Just to fuck with them, I said, "I don't like string beans."

Nora: "Why do you always have to be so difficult? We're all agreed and then you always have to be different. It's not a real dinner. Jesus. Anyone object to peas, raise your hand." No one did so Nora announced: "OK, we ate chicken breasts, peas and mashed potatoes. Can we finally put the fucking dinner menu to rest, Nick, or do you have more silly objections?" I indicated that I was fine with the menu of last night's fictional dinner.

Sara said, "I should have said before but I don't eat mashed potatoes or any starches."

Nora asked, "What do you want to eat instead of potatoes, Dear?"

"Oh, that's OK. I just didn't eat the potatoes; only the chicken and peas. No big deal." She smiled and then said, "Let's just hope that the brothers don't have anyone who wants to avenge their deaths."

Anna said, "If they do, they'll blame Uncle Ivan. He's the only one who knew the brothers were even here. A hit on Uncle Ivan; couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"Anna, where are you and Bud with Peggy's phone numbers?"

"They're all calls and texts with Tony, her mother and girlfriends. Nothing suspicious except for the calls she's getting from the men's prison. We can't figure out who that is."

"What about the audio recordings? Anything interesting there?"

"Bud listens and there's nothing. She hums a lot when she's alone which drives Bud crazy. But there's nothing. She's not hooking up at home when Tony's away."

"OK, I'll call Mrs. Hass and see what she wants to do. I want Bud to keep listening to Peggy and for you, Sara, to keep watching her. We'll do that until Mrs. Hass calls us off."

I called Mrs. Hass. I explained that we haven't been able to find any adultery on Peggy's part. "She works out, goes to the pool with her friends, comes home to meet Tony and that's it. The only thing that's off are the phone calls from prison. We know it's a male because it's a men's prison. Do you know who that might be?"

"No idea. As far as I know, she doesn't have any relatives in prison but it wouldn't surprise me if she did."

"He always seems to call when Peggy's in the car. We haven't been able to get in her car to put in a listening device so we don't know what she and this guy talk about. Can you get keys to her car so we can start listening to her conversations there?"

Mrs. Hass thought about it and said, "I'll tell Tony that my car's in the shop and I want to borrow her car. I'll do it over this next weekend when Tony's home with his car so she won't have any excuse not to give me hers. I want you to continue. I know she's cheating on Tony and I want you to prove it."

"OK, let me know as soon as you have her car."

Since her picture and address were in their car, Anna was interviewed by the police about the unfortunate demise of the two brothers from Russia. Anna had no idea why they had her information: Maybe they wanted to ask her if she had any info about who had killed their brother. Or maybe invite her to the funeral. Who knows? The brothers never approached her. Where was she when they were killed? Having dinner with Sara, Nora and me at our place. Chicken, peas, mashed potatoes. Although someone suggested sushi takeout but she hates sushi.

The cops attributed the killing to mobsters shooting each other and no one was interested in that unless the payoffs stopped. The brothers were from Russia so no one local was getting anything from them so no one cared. Just two more gangsters who were shot.

I thought I was done with Powell but he showed up at our office a couple of days later. Sara was off following Peggy and Bud was back on skip traces when he wasn't listening to Peggy at home or trying to figure out who was calling her from prison. Nora, Anna and I were in the office when Powell barged in. He wasn't happy. Before Nora could get out, "Can I help you?," he was in my office.

"You son of a bitch. You told that cunt that I'm going to sell the video of her and the brother to a porn site. Her lawyer sent me a letter threatening me if the video is published online. I have a great fucking video and now I can't sell it." It's illegal to sell intimate images of someone without their permission even if you had permission to do the filming or take the photos. He could face jail time and fines if the video he took of Mrs. Fine ended up online. Plus loose his P. I. license.

Powell continued, "I should have known better than to tell you. I asked about you and the guys told me you were always a snitch, never understood the loyalty and unity that police work requires." He paused, then said, "That video was prime shit, exactly what these porn guys are looking for. My guess is you cost me about $5000. You owe me that money and I want it now."

I said, "I'm not giving you a fucking dime."

"If that's the way you want it. Here's what's going to happen: Your life won't be worth shit and you won't even see it coming. Pay me or I'll be back for you. I do my own bill collecting. Those who don't pay me end up in the ground. That's your future." Powell pulled back the jacket he was wearing to show me the gun on his hip.

I heard what sounded like someone snapping their fingers but it was Nora cocking the trigger on her.38. She appeared behind Powell in the doorway, her gun pointed at the back of his head. She said, "You're threatening my husband? Are you fucking crazy? Here's what's really going to happen: If my husband gets a sore throat, if he stubs his toe, if I ever see you again, I'm going to blow your fucking head off."

Powell started to reach inside his jacket for his gun. I said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I heard Anna racking the slide on her 9mm. Holding her gun on Powell, and making sure she didn't get between Nora and Powell, she reached inside his jacket and relieved Powell of the gun he was carrying. She said, "Nora won't miss when she shoots you but if she does, I'll be right there with her and, believe me, I won't miss." Her gun was now also pointed at the back of his head. Powell stood absolutely still.

Anna continued, "This is stupid. Let's just shoot this fucker now. I have a throw away gun; let's shoot this asshole in the head now, put the throw away in his hand and fire a few rounds from it into the wall behind Nick. Not only will it be self-defense but we'll be ridding the world of this piece of shit. What'd you think, Nora, Nick?"

Nora said, "Why waste a good throw away. We have his gun. He looks suicidal to me. Doesn't he look suicidal? I think he came here to shoot himself. Poor guy; too bad we couldn't stop him in time."

Anna said, "Works for me. Where do you want to do it? Here or in the outer office?"

I said, "It'll take us forever to get his brains and blood cleaned up. Although we could finally get that filthy couch cleaned. I wonder if our insurance will pay for the cleanup. Nah, too much of a hassle to do it here. Mr. Powell, do you understand that I won't be giving you any money?" Powell nodded vigorously. "Do you understand that if I even suspect you're coming after me, it won't end well for you?" He nodded again. "OK, you can go. The next time any of us see you, you won't be so lucky."

Powell turned to leave, paused and asked, "Can I have my gun back?"

Anna said, "No."

Anna escorted him to the outer office door. He went through the door, turned and said to Anna, "Cunt." Anna kicked him in the nuts. He grabbed himself, fell to the floor and Anna closed the door.

We waited until we heard him get up and gingerly make his way toward the elevator. Nora asked, "Will he be a problem?"

I replied, "I don't know. I think you scared the shit out of him. You two were awesome. Remind me never to fuck with either of you. Too dangerous."

"Nora came around my desk and sat in my lap. "You'd better keep fucking with me, Lover Boy."

Anna said, mostly to herself, "Jesus, they're going to have sex again on the couch. Unbelievable." Then to Nora and me, "I'm going to leave you to it. I'm going to join Sara watching Peggy. Hopefully, there's some place where we can get comfortable."

I said, "She's working, watching Peggy. Don't get too comfortable."

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe I'll stop at home and get one of the air mattresses we bought for camping." She put her gun in her pocketbook, then looked at Powell's gun: "What do we do with his gun?"

I thought about it. He might say we stole it but it would be difficult to prove if we didn't have it to find. There's a hidey-hole under the floorboard behind Nora's desk, under the coat rack, where we hide things. Safer than our safe. "Leave it with me, I'll hide it. If he comes back with the police, our story is 'What gun? We know nothing about any gun of his.'" Anna gave me Powell's gun and left.

Nora, still on my lap, asked, "Is he going to be a problem?"

"I think his bark is worse than his bite. My guess is he'll let it go but we'll just have to be careful."

"Do you want to call Jack?" Jack Hawkins is Deputy Police Chief and my friend. "Or we can just shoot Powell."

"Let's see what happens."

"I'm for just shooting Powell. It's my turn and I say let's do it."

I said, "We can't just kill everyone who threatens us or whom we don't like."

"Why not?"

"Let me think about it."

Mrs. Fine called back. She said, "Eric served me with divorce papers. He wants his brother's share of the business or he'll sue him for alienation of affection. His brother's blaming me for everything: the affair, his parents not talking to him, his possible loss of the business, the chances he'll be on a porn site. Everything's all my fault. They're all stalwart, stand up guys who will always be there for you until they have to face consequences. Then they consider themselves the real victims. So it looks like Jake and I are done.

"Eric's also not being very generous with me. No alimony and he wants the house. I'm countering with couples' therapy and reconciliation but I'm pretty sure Eric's done with me too. I just wish you'd found something on him.

"My attorney sent the asshole P. I. Eric hired a lawyer letter threatening him with a lawsuit, arrest, losing his license, whatever, if he sells the video of Jake and me. But to do any of that, we have to find the videos of us after they've shown up on a porn site. Too many porn sites."

I interrupted, "I think I have good news for you on that part of it. Powell came by, he's not happy that I told you about selling your video, but he said he's not going to sell it. He's afraid you'll find the porn site and do all that. At least, that's what he told me."

"Well, finally some good news."

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Mrs. Fine?"

"No, we're done too, I guess. Send me your bill. You'd better hurry before Eric takes all our money."

"Will do. Good luck, Mrs. Fine." And good riddance.

Thursday, Sara came back to the office after another day of watching Peggy. That Thursday she had news. One of the male friends who spent time at the pool with Peggy and her friends brought a new guy with him. He was there when Peggy arrived and when she saw him, she jumped into his arms and they hugged and kissed. Really passionate kissing. He and Peggy got into Peggy's car and drove off.

Sara followed them to Tony's and Peggy's apartment and waited to see if they left, hoping to follow them to learn where the guy lived. Sara called me about Peggy's new friend and that she was waiting at the apartment to see where Peggy ended up taking the guy. They never left. Sara waited until Tony got home and then drove to the office. She had video of their interaction from the pool.

I called Bud after I got off with Peggy but Bud told me Peggy had already given him a head's up that Peggy brought a man home. He's been listening to Peggy and the man, whose name is Steve, for the past couple of hours. Tony got home a little while ago and Bud's listening now to the three of them. He wants to see how Tony reacts to Steve and then he'll call back with a report. Nora, Anna, Sara and I waited for another hour for Bud to call back. He finally called and I put him on speaker so everyone could hear.

Bud said, "The bottom line: She brought this guy home and they had sex in the kitchen and in the living room. So we have the proof that Mrs. Hass wants."

I interrupted, "You can tell that by just listening to them?"

"Oh yeah; anyone listening would know what they're up to. Besides, Steve commented on how full Peggy's breasts were."

Nora asked, "He actually said her breasts were full? Really?"

"I'm summarizing. He actually said something like this, 'Man, I dreamed every day about your big tits. You know how I love your big titties.' This was in the living room after they'd already had sex. They were catching up and planning the future. He also asked when she started trimming her pubic hair, although he didn't say it exactly like that. She told him that she had shaved herself completely as a goof and because she was bored but it was now growing back. I guess she's not ready to tell him about her adventures with the rock band.

"He asks her if she trimmed her pubic hair for some guy and she tells him she's been completely faithful to him since he left. There's been no one else. He says she didn't answer his calls from prison for almost a week. He thinks she was with someone, that's why she didn't answer. She says she told him before that she got pneumonia, she was in the hospital for a few days and then home with Tony taking care of her. She turned her phone off because she wouldn't be able to explain to Tony the phone calls from Steve from prison. Definitely not ready to tell Steve about her time with the band.

"Steve brings up Tony: Where does he fit in? She says she got pregnant and then he, Steve, was arrested. She went to a party and Tony and some of his rich friends crashed the party. Turns out that Peggy and Steve went to high school together, they were high school sweethearts. Tony when to a private school which Peggy referred to as 'the rich kids school'. Peggy said Tony was the least obnoxious of the rich kids who crashed the party so she latched on to him. She, as she put it, 'rocked his world' and they saw each other every day after the party. She eventually told Tony she was pregnant, his kid, and they had to get married."

I asked, "So she was pregnant with Steve's kid before she ever met Tony."

"Probably it was Steve's kid but who knows: It certainly wasn't Tony's. It gets worse. She and Tony elope and then she gets rid of the baby. It wasn't a miscarriage.

"Steve wants to know what happens now with the two of them and with Tony. Peggy says that Tony is more like a job than a husband. She'll tell Tony that Steve is a relative who has returned to town and needs a place to stay for just a week or two. The week or two will turn into a month and then become permanent. Steve asks if Tony will be OK with that. She says Tony will grumble for a while but what Tony wants most in the world is Peggy. He'll do anything she says and will stay regardless of what she does. Even if Tony caught them hooking up, he wouldn't throw Peggy out.

"The real problem is Tony's mother. She despises Peggy and wants her gone but when it comes down to it, especially regarding Peggy, Tony always gets his way. Tony's parents are funding all this so she and Steve can just kick back and spend his parent's money. After a while, since she'll tell Tony they're just best friends, she and Steve will start going out together, vacation together, spend as much time as they want alone together, as best friends do, while Tony keeps the home fires burning and Mrs. Hass pays for it all.

"Steve tells her that he can't just kick back and live off the parent's money. He's out on parole and he has to get a job or he's in violation. Peggy tells him to get a job, just work as little as he can get away with. They won't need the money.

Bud continued, "So now we know that Steve just got out on parole and it was Steve calling her from prison. I was just waiting for Steve's last name so I could look him up but no last name so far. I knew now Steve and Peggy went to the same high school, that Peggy got pregnant and he was arrested. That had to be about four years ago, shortly before Tony and Peggy eloped.

"Peggy said that Tony would be home soon and she wanted to have sex again. So they did. I didn't need to listen to more of that so I googled the high school they went to and added teenager felonies and springtime four years ago to the search. If he was gone four years it had to be a felony. Only one Steve popped up, a fellow named Stephen Cole. Sara, you got a look at this guy, right?"

Sara said, "Yeah, I was close enough to see his face clearly."

"OK, I'm going to send you the link I found for this Stephen Cole. There's a picture. Take a look and see if it's the guy you saw with Peggy." Bud sent the link and Sara confirmed it was the same guy.

Bud went on, "So this guy was arrested for a home invasion with two of his buddies. Somehow they got the idea that a wealthy family in the suburbs had a ton of cash lying around in their home and they decided to go for it. The family was a husband, wife and teenage daughter.

They broke in wearing masks, brandishing guns and demanded the money. The husband denied having any substantial cash around: Maybe $100 or $200 which the robbers can have. Steve and his buddies decided to tie the husband to a chair and had the mother, then thirty-six, and the daughter, then sixteen, take off all their clothes as an incentive for the husband to tell them where the real money was. Still no real money so Steve and friends had the mother and daughter put whatever the robbers thought was valuable in garbage bags: Jewelry, watches, and some knickknacks.

"Steve then decides it would be a good idea for the mother to give him a blow job which he persuades her to do. So when the cops arrive they now have Steve's semen and therefore his DNA. They just don't have a name or face to attach to his DNA."

I asked, "How'd you find out about taking off their clothes and the blow job. That's not usually reported in the news."

"The arrest and booking reports are online. And a PG version was reported in the press during Cole's trial."

"Steve also thinks it's a good idea to take a picture or two of the mother and daughter standing naked beside the tied up husband. A further good idea, Steve believes, is to show that picture to people at school and brag about the blow job. One guy who sees it knows the family, knows about the home invasion and goes to the cops. Steve was arrested and ratted out the other two. They had his DNA from the semen at the scene so it was open and shut. He got twelve years, more than the other two because of the blow job, with the possibility of parole after four. So he just got out."

Bud continued, "So Tony arrives home about forty minutes ago to find Steve sitting on his couch drinking his beer. Actually asks Tony if he wants a beer and yells to Peggy in the kitchen to fetch a beer for Tony. Peggy introduces Steve as her cousin who's been serving overseas in the military, just returned home, and has no place to stay. So Steve's going to stay with them in the guest room for a week or two, just until he can find a job and suitable accommodations.

"Tony asks how exactly Steve is related to Peggy and why he's never heard of him before. Peggy says he's not really related; he's a family friend whom she's known forever. A close personal friend but just a friend, nothing romantic. More like a brother than anything else. She tells Tony to go pick up dinner for the three..... Hold on, I have another call I have to take. My brother-in-law works at the prison and I asked him to find out what he can about Steve's time there. He's calling back now. Hold on."

Bud put us on hold and came back on a few minutes later: "My brother-in-law is a sergeant with the prison guards and he talked to the guards in Cole's prison wing. He says that Steve was a model inmate so he got parole as soon as it became possible.

"He also said that Steve, whose nickname in prison was Stephanie, was beloved by his fellow inmates. Especially well loved by his cellmate who insisted that Steve, or Stephanie, not wear any clothes after lights out. It seems that Steve, to show what a tough guy he is, arrived at prison bragging about all the things he did with the naked mother and daughter during the home invasion; almost all of it made up. Inmates have wives and daughters too so Steve's life in prison was much like how he described his time with the wife and daughter. I guess there is such a thing as karma."

I asked, "Is that it?"

"Pretty much."

"OK, we'll download the audio for Mrs. Hass and ask her to come in. You're available tomorrow, Bud?" Bud said that he was. "Edit the audio down to the important parts for Mrs. Hass. I'll let you know when she's available tomorrow." We got off. I called Mrs. Hass and told her we had what she wants. We agreed on 10am the next morning and I texted Bud with the time.

Mrs. Hass arrived promptly at 10am. She, Sara, Bud, Nora and I met in my office. I said, "I think we have everything you requested. I'm not sure you've met Ms. Michaels," I gestured toward Sara, "Ms. Michaels has been following Peggy around during the day. Peggy's boyfriend from high school, and probably the father of the child Peggy aborted, got out of prison yesterday. Sara will describe their greeting after four years apart. And she has video."

Mrs. Hass said, "So you're sure that Tony wasn't the father and Peggy didn't have a miscarriage?"

Bud said, "Yes, we're sure."

I said, "Let's go through what happened yesterday and then we can answer questions. We have audio recording which we'll give you."

Sara described Steve arriving at the pool and the greeting he received from Peggy. Bud then went through what he heard on the audio from their apartment, what he learned about Stephen Cole online and from his brother-in-law.

Mrs. Hass sat there stunned, "And you have this all on audio?"

Bud said, "About Tony not being the baby's father, the abortion, Peggy's relationship with Cole and what she thinks of Tony is all on audio. Cole's crime, arrest and conviction are described online. I've printed out some of it."

Mrs. Hass said, "Email me the video of Peggy and this guy kissing. Give me the audio." We did. She left after telling me to send her my invoice.

With Nora, Anna and Sara, Bud continued to monitor the audio from Tony's apartment. After a while Bud said, "I figured Mrs. Hass would drive immediately to the apartment and I wouldn't miss that for the world. She entered the apartment, she must have another key, and caught Peggy and Steve fucking in the bedroom. She tells Steve that he has ten minutes to pack his shit and leave. Peggy starts arguing that he's their guest, Tony has no problems with Steve living with them for a short time and Mrs. Hass has no say over who they can invite into their apartment.

"Mrs. Hass tells them it's her apartment, she holds the lease, she pays the rent, and that Peggy and Tony are her guests. She hasn't agreed to another guest. If Cole refuses to leave, she'll call the cops to trespass him and she's sure that's something that Cole's parole officer will hear about. She actually said, 'Back to being Stephanie, Steve. Is that what you want.... Stephanie?'

"Peggy asks, 'Who's Stephanie?' but Steve's evidently too busy packing up to answer. Peggy says, "If you throw Steve out, I'm leaving with him. Try explaining why I left to Tony. He'll never talk to you again.'

"Mrs. Hass just says, 'Told Stephanie here about your time with the band yet, Peggy? How you fucked all the band members. I have pictures of her servicing band members, roadies, friends of the band.... actually it'd be easier to list the people she didn't fuck. You were with them fucking everyone in sight for what, Peggy, a week? Longer? Want to see some pictures of Peggy here getting fucked in the ass, Stephanie? Something you and Peggy evidently have in common.'

"Mrs. Hass is a real pistol: Cole was out of there in under ten minutes. Peggy left with him, still asking him about Stephanie. Mrs. Hass is still there. It sounds like she's packing clothes. We're waiting for Tony to get home. That'll be interesting."

I said, "Let me know when Tony gets there. I want to hear that."

Tony must have heard from Peggy and skipped his last class because he arrived at the apartment shortly after Peggy and Steve left. He started yelling at his mother that she was controlling and manipulative. How could she throw his wife out of their apartment. Steve was just a friend. She has to stop treating Peggy the way she does. Peggy is his wife. If she and Steve can't live here, Tony can't either.

Mrs. Hass calmly asked Tony to sit with her. She showed him the video on her phone that Sara took of Peggy's and Steve's reunion: Peggy in his arms and them kissing passionately. Then she told Tony that when she arrived, Peggy and Steve were in bed having sex. She told Tony that she has been audio recording Peggy at home. Peggy is recorded telling Steve that the baby wasn't Tony's, she didn't have a miscarriage but an abortion, that Steve was her high school sweetheart before he was sent to prison four years ago and their plan now was to pick up where they left off. Steve would become a permanent resident in the apartment, Peggy and Steve would carry on their affair behind Tony's back and with Mrs. Hass funding everything.

She said, "The audio is on this SD drive. Stick it in your computer and listen to it. While you're listening I'm going to pack your things. You're going to move back home. The apartment is on a month to month lease and I'm going to give the thirty day notice today that we're cancelling the lease. I'll notify Peggy, also today, that she has to be out in thirty days." Tony had no response. We heard Mrs. Hass back in the bedroom packing while Tony listened to the audio of Peggy and Steve talking. And fucking.

Peggy arrived at the apartment about an hour later, Steve in tow. She came in, saw Tony at the computer and started yelling, "Get your mother out of here. We don't need her involved in our marriage or telling us who we can be friends with. She's destroying everything we built together. She doesn't even know Steve and she tells him he has to leave. From our apartment. Who the fuck does she think she is?

"She probably told you a bunch of lies about me and Steve. But that's what they are, all lies. She hates me and will say anything to get you away from me. She's a petty, jealous woman who will do anything to keep her son under her thumb. Get her out of here and tell her she's no longer welcome in our home. Steve, put your things back in the guest bedroom; you're not going anywhere. Tony, get your mother out of here and tell her not to come back."

No one spoke for a while. We didn't hear any movement. Then Tony yelled, "Mother! Mother, come here please."

"I'm here, Tony."

"Please call the police and have this piece of shit arrested for trespassing. Let's get him sent back to prison where he belongs."

We heard someone, probably Steve, opening the front door and closing it. Peggy yelled, "Steve wait; don't leave. It's going to be her that leaves. Tony, what the fuck are you doing. Steve's my friend; you can't have him arrested. You can't just throw him out: He has nowhere to go and you said he could stay here as long as he wants. What the fuck is wrong with you? I'm telling you this now: If you don't let Steve stay here, I'm leaving too. If I can't have friends, if you don't let Steve stay, I don't want to be married to you. Is that what you want? To never see me again?"

Tony said, "That's exactly what I want. I'm moving out tonight. You have thirty days to vacate the apartment. Mother is terminating the lease so if you don't leave, you'll either have to sign a new lease and come up with the rent on your own or the manager will evict you. Hopefully, you'll leave now. Follow your boyfriend Steve out the door."

Mrs. Hass said, "I need your set of keys to the car you've been driving. If you drive away with the car, I'll call the police and tell them you stole it. Which will be true: It's my car and you can only drive it with my permission. That permission is revoked. The credit cards you're using are also mine. They'll be cancelled this afternoon."

Peggy said, much softer now, pleading, no longer yelling, "Tony, please, can we talk, just the two of us? Things have gotten way out of hand. If you don't want Steve here, fine. He'll just have to figure something else out. I didn't think you'd get so upset about Steve. That I wanted to do an old friend a favor shouldn't destroy our marriage, the love we have for each other. Will you ask your mother to leave so we can talk? We can fix this. There's no reason for you to throw away our marriage like this."

Tony said, "Peggy, it's over. I'm done. Give me the car keys. You should leave now. Mother, I'm sure, won't mind you using her credit card one more time to call an Uber. Or stay here until the lease ends. I don't care. I'm gone tonight."

"Where am I supposed to go? I have nowhere to go."

Tony responded, "That's a problem. The good news? It's not my problem. You have parents and friends here. Maybe Steve can put you up. Or maybe the band's still touring. You can go back to them."

Peggy said, "Fuck you both. Tony, you'll be sorry. You'll be calling me in an hour begging me to come home. I may or may not come home."

Mrs. Hass said, "I forgot about your phone, thanks for reminding me. That's mine too. Your phone service will also be cancelled this afternoon along with the credit cards, your gym membership, your Netflix, your Spotify and everything else I'm paying for. If you want to get an Uber now, I'll pay for it. Otherwise, we have work to do. Tony please finish packing while I cancel her cards and the rest."

Tony says, "Peggy, why don't you leave now and let us pack my stuff. You have access to the apartment for the next thirty days. Plenty of time to come back for your things."

Mrs. Hass said, "And just your things. We're going to take pictures of the furniture and whatever else is here. I paid for it all, I own it all, and we'll have a moving company here in a few days to move it all out. If anything's missing, we'll call the cops and have you arrested for theft."

Peggy asked, "Can I keep the car for the thirty days? Just to find a new place and move my things."

Mrs. Hass said, "No. you can't keep the car. If you take it, I'll have you arrested. If you leave now, I'll pay for an Uber to get you where you want to go but that's all I'm willing to do for you."

Peggy, pleading, "Tony, please."

Tony responded, "Just leave, Peggy. We're divorcing. I'd advise that you get a lawyer as soon as you can. We're going to start the divorce as soon as we can get in to see our lawyer."

Mrs. Hass said, "Tomorrow. We'll see our lawyer in the morning."

Peggy said, "OK, I'll call an Uber. Here are your fucking car keys. But you'll be sorry Tony. When you come crawling back, don't expect me to forgive you."

Mrs. Hass said, "Can you wait for the Uber outside? Thanks." We heard the door open and close. Mrs. Hass said, "What a relief. So much better with her gone. Tony, do you want to continue packing your stuff while I cancel her life?"

That's where we stopped listening. Nora said, "I bet he takes her back."

I said, "I bet he doesn't. Anyone else want in on this?"

Anna said, "I'll go with Nora. He'll take her back."

Sara said, "I don't think he will so I'm with Nick."

We all waited for Bud. Bud asked, "What do you get if you win? What's the bet?"

I said, "Bragging rights. The satisfaction of knowing you were right."

Nora said, "No, we have to wager something."

I said, "OK, if we win Nora dances naked for the winning team."

Anna said, "I'm on Nora's side so I would also lose but can I watch Nora dance naked too? Even though I lost the bet?"

Sara said, "Anna, if you lose, you have to dance naked too."

Nora said, "We're not dancing naked. Are you nuts? Are you going to dance naked for us if we win, Nick? Sara?"

I said, "How about we just stick with bragging rights?"

Bud said, "It's really not worth it if we can't see someone dancing naked but I'm with Sara and Nick: Tony's done with Peggy."

Sara asked, "How will we know if Tony takes her back or not?"

I said, "Well, if Tony takes Peggy back, Mrs. Hass will be back here hiring us again. Let's give it a month."