Flat-footed, Part 3

May 1, 2009

Flat-footed, Part 3

Detective Rain cocked her head, apparently interested. It was an expression Biz rather liked on her face. 

"Del Fontaigne hired me to prove that his wife was having an affair."

"When was this?" Rain's notebook was out, pen in hand.

"A week ago."

"Pre-nup?"

"I wondered the same thing. Great minds think alike."

Detective Rain waited. Biz said, "Great minds don't think alike?"

"Did they have a pre-nup?"

"No idea. He hired me, I put her under surveillance. She spends most of her very long business days at company headquarters in Century City."

"How did you know what she was doing there?"

"I didn't. Well, let's say I have access to her corporate calendar, but you don't want to know about that."

"Yes, I do."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. Anyway, it's entirely possible she was doing the Dirty Boogie with her lover right there in her office on the top floor. Maybe on the couch, in the executive washroom, maybe right there on top of her desk. The mind reels just thinking about it. Titillating, isn't it? Which would you pick?"

Absently Detective Rain said, "Couch or shower, I suppose." She tapped the pen on the notebook, looked startled at what had just come out of her mouth, then focused again. "Last night?"

"She and the secretary--actually I think they're called executive assistants now. Maybe I should get one? I hear they're all the rage." 

Rain scowled at him. Biz shrugged. "She and the secretary came out of HQ, got into her Lexus and drove to the beach house in Malibu. I got pictures."

Biz turned the computer screen around and clicked on a file. He'd immediately uploaded the pics into the computer before contemplating his first stinger of the day. He had a few dozen photographs of the beauteous Shala Fontaigne in her Rodeo Drive custom-designed suit frisking her executive assistant, Steven Laud, in the front seat of the Lexus, stepping out of the Lexus, and heading into the door of the Malibu beach shack before the garage door closed behind them. Either they were about to have sex or she was performing mouth-to-mouth on him and he was performing heart massage on her. He’d even gotten a good pic of Shala F tossing Laud the car keys, his left hand high to catch them, better to make him think he was in the driver’s seat, uh-huh, yeah, babe.

Biz said, "I suppose she told you they were in a business meeting."

Rain shook her head. "Actually, she said she was having an affair with Laud and they'd spent the night in her place in Malibu."

Biz tapped his fingers on his desk. "That's remarkably straightforward of her."

"We thought so."

"Nice alibi, though."

"It was sort of flimsy, actually, but now you've brought proof."

"Yeah, I thought of that. Convenient. I suppose you want copies of the photographs."

"Yes. How did you get access to her corporate calendar?"

He went about burning a disk for her. "Would you want to meet me after work for drinks in exchange for that information?"

"No."

"Compare notes?"

"No."

"Dinner?"

"No."

"Dancing? Horseback riding? Lakers game? Putt-putt golf?"

"You're not my type."

"Too manly?"

"Too short."

"Together we're sort of average."

"The answer is still no."

Biz smiled. "For now. By the way, are those ShalaVus you're wearing?"

Detective Rain's face colored pink.

Biz thought, Score one for the flatfoot.

To be continued...