Facts Aren't Kind
Text Message:
Amber Ann – The Wife: "PROVE IT."
Dan looked at the text for a long moment. His stomach knotted. Something had happened. He could feel the shift in her tone through the screen.
Me: "I will. I am never letting you go, Am. Forgive me. 🙏🏽😢"
It took him a long time to hit send, and when he did, he found himself holding his breath, hoping for a reply. David watched hope and despair move across his friend's face as Dan stared at his phone like it held the secret to his life.
"What's going—"
"Give me a minute… it's Amber Ann."
David sat straighter, becoming as still as a statue. He waited, afraid to move, hoping for the best for his friend.
Amber Ann – The Wife: "It will take more than mud and minerals 😒—thank you for that, by the way 🤷🏾♀️—much more. I am not concerned about the twins; just show me you have truly changed."
Both Dan's mind and eyes froze on the word twins. Jessica had truly been mucking things up, escalating the situation behind his back. He looked up at David, determination etched into his face and a new edge of anger in his voice.
"Call that PI you were talking about. I want to meet with him today."
David smiled and began digging his phone out of his pocket.
Me: "Thank you, honey 🤗. Can we continue texting? 🙏🏽"
Amber Ann – The Wife: "Yes. Good night, Dan."
Me: "Thank you, Honey. Sleep well. 😘🤗❤️"
Dan went into his contacts and changed Amber's name to Honey. He looked up at David with a victorious smile, his body buzzing. It was like an electrical current was flowing through him. He could not stop smiling, and David scoffed as he looked up from his phone call.
"You look like a goof who just met his crush. Why are you smiling like that?"
Dan just shrugged, the smile growing wider. "I just feel like I have a real chance now. I know Amber Ann. She would have solved the bathhouse situation on her own, given time—I knew that alone would not impress her. But now…" His heart fluttered, and he took several calming breaths. "Now she is giving me a real chance."
His eyes fell to David's cell. "What did the PI say?"
His best friend stood up as if he had just won an award, looking at Dan triumphantly. "He said we should come over to his office now. He and his partner happen to be there."
Dan jumped up, eager for this all to be more than just a lucky streak ready to break.
Two Minds Private Eye was located in the historic district of Carson City. The homes here were huge but packed closely together, and the commercial streets looked eclectic and bohemian. The office took up the second floor of an old red-brick building that housed a pizzeria and an artisan candy shop on the first floor.
The building didn't have an elevator, and the stairs were a grand affair of old greenish-black marble with black metal accents. The banisters were polished blacks and bronzes, and long, narrow windows lined the way as Dan and David ascended. The door leading to the floor read "Two Minds Private Eye" with a large, stylized Eye of Horus beneath it.
Dan was ever-impressed as he opened the door and entered a hall that looked like a 1950s Hollywood murder mystery. The dark hall, in muted browns and reds, seemed to flicker with candlelight. Dan almost expected to look up and see harsh fluorescent tubes dying above him, but the atmosphere remained thick and intentional.
Entering the office brought more of the same feel. Dan realized these detectives were either very good at what they did, or they had a lot of money to fund their hobby. The "office" was a large, spacious waiting room with smaller offices and a conference room leading off it. Antique furniture filled the space, and the air was heavy with the scent of sandalwood and an exotic musk.
A tall, caramel-skinned man walked up to them with a broad smile, exuding enthusiasm. "Hello! Dan? David? I am Clarence Dens, and this is my partner, Omar Johnson."
An extremely tall and serious-faced man nodded in greeting from an open door leading into a conference room.
"Would you like anything to drink? We can get right to it," Clarence offered.
Dan and David followed Omar into a nice-sized conference room. As soon as Clarence followed with a platter of drinks and snacks, the taller man began.
"From what I understand, there is a woman saying you are the father of her unborn children."
Dan blinked several times, caught off guard by the abrupt change in tone. His mouth hung agape and went dry at the same time. Clarence calmly chuckled.
"Forgive my partner. He is the workhorse of our firm and tends to be rather abrupt."
"Umm, no, no. It's fine," Dan stammered. "Yes. My wife just indicated today that Jessica is pregnant with twins."
Omar nodded as if this kind of thing happened all the time.
Dan sighed. "Jessica Lance is my sister-in-law, and…" He paused, looking down at the tea in his hands.
Omar's stern voice boomed through the room, making both Dan and David jump. "We don't judge here, Mr. Trace. We work with facts, and facts are often not kind or pretty. But we need them to do our job right and ensure accurate results."
Dan nodded, regaining his composure. "I have been married five years. I took my wife for granted and pined for her sister the entire time. As soon as Jessica returned to Carson City, I took her to my bed like a trophy I had finally won."
He looked up at the detectives. "I am not saying that I am blameless. I am saying I want the truth so that I can honestly look my wife in the eye and we can effectively save our marriage."
Omar slowly nodded while Clarence took a note. Omar's clear brown eyes pierced Dan. "Okay, Mr. Trace. From what I have heard already, we can definitely help you understand the situation." He looked to Clarence. "I'll take this one."
Clarence raised an eyebrow, but he nodded without a word and made another notation.
Omar sat across from Dan and David, leaning forward until his shadow loomed over the table. He steepled his fingers, his eyes locking onto Dan's with a gaze that felt like a polygraph test.
"Explain to me why your sister-in-law feels she is entitled to disrupt your marriage," Omar began, his voice low and steady. "How have you encouraged this, and where have you two met in the past? I will take those patterns to understand her current patterns."
Dan felt the air leave the room. This wasn't just a conversation; it was a dissection.
"Get comfortable, Mr. Trace," Omar added, tapping a pen against the table. "This is going to take a while, and I want the truth. Every ugly bit of it."