TWO WEEKS INTO OUR INVESTIGATION

Alot has transpired in the last two weeks.  I will refer to our subject as X. Her husband went on the road ten days ago and we began our watch on her house.  We parked up the street about three houses so we could get a good view.  As the Bee newspaper was really interested in a juicy story, they financed our needs like making a fleet of cars available for our nightly use.  They gave Blythe time off from her regular job as we were busy most nights and needed sleep. The same car parked night after night is a no no.  Jobs like this are very boring until they can get hair raising.  The last two nights, a car parked in her drive and spent the nights there.  We got the tag number and it was a personalized plate  "LIKETOFLY"   We figured the guy was a pilot and as he was driving an expensive sports car, we figured he had money.  We got his name through the tag agency and then located his address.  We went to the court house to see if any records of any kind could be found.  We found records of a fairly recent divorce including the settlement.  He was the heir of his families wealth which amounted to about 800,000 dollars.  He used to live in a trailor court, but now lived in a very nice upper class home.  There were no children, and the size of his new home was far above what he needed. His wife got a few items from their home, but zilch from the estate. We guessed he had gone somewhat unrealistic and wanted to experience a  big, nice house.  He was quite abit older than X and she had a body to die for.  It all hung together.  We did a drive by on his big home one night and found X's car parked in his garage....the garage door was open.  We also found out that X had a fairly lengthy history of seeing a psychiatrist for depression and paranoia.   Under the guise of visitation from a certain church, we knocked on X's neighbor's doors and found a way to get them to talk about X.  The procedure we used was very subtle and lengthy, so I will not include detail .  I was simply amazed at how much info you can get if you want it bad enough and are clever enough.  There was some hint in what we found that suggested X was suicidal as she had put her checking account in both her and her brother's names.  X's neighbor next door was the most productive.  Both were in their sixties, retired, and enjoying life.  He loved jazz and played big band music over his speakers on his patio.  He also enjoyed his booze, but seemed responsible.  I made the pitch that "our church" had a group for people with problems...troubled.   "We have a big divorce counselling group and also people with addictions."  He asked if we had visited the lady next door yet and we said no.  He began a story about  X.  "My  next door neighbor might be a real candidate for you and your groups.  Her husband is gone alot and when he is, we see cars parked in her driveway and they stay all night..I mean one car at a time.  She went with some guy for about a year and she seemed to settle down, but they broke up and she began to act very strangely.  I am amazed her husband doesn't know about all this or doesn't seem to care.  He probably has his women while he is on the road....Sometimes he is gone for a month at a time...He is at least twenty years her senior...my wife and I doubt they are even married.   She is an alcolohic and sometimes she gets drunk and comes over here to blow off.  She is a divorcee and has joint custody of her two children.  Her ex brings them over for one week and then picks them up for his week with them.  She works for some National auto rental concern and evidently makes decent money, plus her award from the divorce.  During her going with Cliff for a year, she seemed a different person..for the better..but when he broke off with her, she really exhibited some bizarre behaviour.  She freuently asked  if we had seen Cliff or his car in the neighborhood.  She told us she found some unspent bullets in her back yard.  That was before she met the current man who lives with her.  She has only been with him for about a year.  I actually doubt they are married.  I jumped in and asked if he knew Cliff's last name.  He said  it was Darby..."When he was with her, he too, spent weekends with her ..then, he was gone for a week..I think he lived in another town and worked for some laboritory...he seemed like such a nice man and we wondered what he saw in her....he also was older, but not much.  We visited some over the fence.  Blythe asked "Did he ever mention where he worked?"   "He did, but I can't recall what he said..it was a University..a school..I think"  Blythe asked "Could it be that he said Davis?"    "Yes..that is it, Davis..that is what he said".   Blythe and I had enough to work on and we thanked him for his time.  The man then asked:  "What did you say was the name of your church?"   Oh...no..Blythe and I had failed to find a church that we claimed to go to."  Major screw up.  Blythe jumped in and said..."We will send you literature on our church and all of its programs"   He seemed satisfied with that.  Now, we had yet another assignment...find a church with all of those programs.  On the way home, I reminded Blythe we had not made love in over a week.  She answered...."I knew something was missing...."   (to be continued)