My WIP Continues

I decided that my novel was too short, so I’m adding a couple more chapters. Here is part of one. Enjoy.

The Case of the Cheating Girlfriend

Thing had finally quieted down. Jen and Molly had no active cases to work on which was okay with them. Jen and Jonah married and went on a honeymoon soon after Molly had her baby. The pandemic was still going strong, but the woman had saved enough from previous cases to carry them for several more months.

When Molly arrived at the office, Jen informed her than she scheduled a remote visual chat with a possible new client for 1300 hours. They agreed to work the case together since they had no other cases at the time. Promptly at 1300, a young man connected with Jen and Molly remotely. Jen and Molly introduced themselves and paused for the young man to speak. He was a good looking African-American with close cut hair and a muscular build. His voice was deep. Jen introduced Molly and said they would both work on the case.

“My name is Joseph Brown, but you can call me JB, everyone does. I’m from Nashville. I played semi-pro football for the Nashville Kings until a year ago when it was recommended that I stop because of degenerative brain disease. I was a lineman and took several hits to the head; too many it turns out. I still work with the team as a weight trainer.”

“How can we be of service, Mr. Brown?” Jen asked.

“I would like you to investigate my fiancé.”

“What do you want us to investigate?” Jen asked.

“We got engaged about six months ago. I think my fiancé, Shanice Williams, is cheating on me. If she is, then the wedding is definitely off.”

“Okay,” Jen replied. “We can certainly do that for you. But first tell us more about your fiancé and then why you think she might be cheating.”

“I met Shanice at the gym. I’m a weight trainer for the Nashville Kings and she’s an aerobics instructor for the 24 Hour Fitness chain of gym. She is an advanced aerobics instructor. They fly her to different places to teach other aerobics instructors. We started dating and just clicked.”

“Did you bring a picture of her with you?” Molly asked.

“I can email that to you, along with other details like her age, height andweight,” JB said.

“JB, you’re from Nashville. Why do you want us to investigate her here in Atlanta?’

“That’s where I think she’s cheating. She’s having an affair with someone who lives in Atlanta. 24 Hour Fitness flies her there to teach an advanced class once a month. She trains other instructors at one of their gyms on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.”

“So, you think she’s meeting someone here on those weekends?” Molly asked.

“I do. I pray I’m wrong, but I have my suspicions. Maybe I just being paranoid. But I have to know.”

“So, why do you think she’s cheating on you?”

“I know her schedule, so I don’t try to call her when I know she’s teaching. Sometimes when I call after her classes, she doesn’t pick up. When she calls back, she says she was charging her phone.”

“Well, that’s possible,” Molly added.

“Then there’s this. We live together and she normally does the laundry. This last time, she had a meeting, so I decided to do the laundry. Then I noticed this odor on her clothes. I went to a drug store and niffed all the colognes until I found this.” JB reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of cologne. He showed it to Jen.

Jen read the label, ''’Eros,’ Are you sure that’s the same as the odor on your fiancé clothes?”

“I’m sure of it. It was on her bra and panties. Also, she told me five months ago that she had reconnected with a classmate from high school. He lives in Atlanta. His name is Matthew Jones. Since then, she hasn’t mentioned him.”

“You think she’s cheating with this old classmate?” Jen asked.

“I don’t know. But I looked him up in her old yearbook. There’re a few pictures of the two of them together. I guess they were an item back then.”

“Do you remember his name?” Molly asked.

“Yes. His name is Jamar Johnson.”

“When does she teach in Atlanta again?” Jen asked.

“This week. If you do this, I will need pictures or positive proof. I don’t want to accuse her of cheating unless I’m 100% positive.”

After a few more questions, Jen told JB that they would take his case. JB agreed to the fee and signed a contract.

The rest of the day, Jen and Molly reached the background of JB and his fiancé. Everything JB told them about himself and Shanice checked out. True to his word, JB e-mailed pictures of Shanice along with details of her age, weight and height. He also told them which hotel Shanice would be staying and the location of the gym she where she would be teaching. The gym was just two blocks from the hotel.

While Jen was doing background checks on JB and Shanice, Molly was check on Shanice Williams’ ex-boyfriend from high school. She discovered that he does still live in the Atlanta area and now owns four Ford dealerships. He’s a successful businessman, married with a couple of kids. Finally, she pulled up his picture from the internet. “OMG, I know him.”

Jen looked at Molly. “You know Matthew Jones?” she asked.

“No, I don’t know him personally, but I know who he is. You do too.”