Once again, he moved forward slowly, peered around that edge.
A naked man stood by the window. A moment later, he was joined by a naked woman who threw her arms around him and lifted her knee up high on his hip. Then she pulled back, took his hand, and pulled him away from the window.
The light came through the window and spread over the ground in a widening rectangle. Reznick neared the window but stayed out of the light. He walked around it and along the other side to the edge of the window. He pressed his back to the wall beside the window.
The window was to his right, and to his left was another corner, the corner of the house. Beyond it was a swimming pool, a small pool house to the right, and what appeared, in the dark of night, to be a sprawling, gently down sloping back yard beyond that.
He looked to his right again, at the window. From where he stood, he could see down a hallway. The window was at the end of that hallway, facing an open doorway across the hall.
Reznick turned around and faced the wall of the house, and slowly eased his head around the edge of the window. No one was looking his way.
The window looked across the hall at an open doorway, into a room. Naked people stepped in and out of view. Across the room from the open door was a bed with the covers in a tangle at the foot. On the wall above the bed was a large colorful banner that read MILFPARADE.COM – HOT MAMAS ONLINE!
Someone brought a light into view and set it up in front of the bed. As far as Reznick could tell, it was the kind of light used in photography or video sessions.
Alicia Carey got on the bed.
Reznick quickly removed his phone from his pocket, opened it up, and began taking pictures.
Alicia jumped up and down on the bed like a teenage girl at a slumber party. Another naked woman got on the bed and joined her.
A naked man approached the bed and waved his arms back and forth, shaking his head at the same time, like a disapproving adult. They stopped jumping and sat down. The woman who had joined Alicia got up and left. A man joined Alicia.
Reznick kept taking pictures.
Seventeen
When Reznick got home, he printed the pictures up and looked them over.
There was Mrs. Carey, plain as day, going at it with a handsome fellow who seemed to be enjoying himself.
There was that banner: MILFPARADE.COM – HOT MAMAS ONLINE!
He went to his computer and typed in the address. The page popped up on his screen. On the left was a beautiful naked woman in her late thirties, standing in an alluring but unrevealing pose, and on the right was a column of text:
Hi, kids! Wait till you see the new MILFs who’ve
joined us here at MILFPARADE! It’s amazing what
a little cash’ll get some people to do. They might say
no at first, but when you flash some of that green
stuff, they get mighty cooperative. And it doesn’t
even have to be that much, either! Next thing you
know, they’re naked and fuckin’! Which is why
you’re here. So, if you’re a member, come on in
and see what’s new. If you’re not a member,
then what the hell are you waiting for? Join now
by clicking on the Join Now button!
Reznick clicked on the Join Now button. He took his wallet from his back pocket, took out a credit card, typed the number into the correct window, filled out all the information requested, then clicked on the button at the bottom of the page.
Seconds later, he was a member of MILFParade.com.
Someone knocked at his screen door.
Reznick left his bedroom, went down the hall, and stepped up to the open door. He smiled down at Anna Dunfy. “Hi,” he said.
“Hello there,” she said. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all.” It was then that he noticed the smell of something being cooked outdoors, and he realized how hungry he was.
“We’re having a barbecue, and I thought you might like to join us. We’re about ready to wrap it up, but I’ll gladly hold it open for you, if you’re interested.”
He thought of the barbecued chicken in his refrigerator, but that would keep until tomorrow night. “You know what?” he said. “That sounds delicious.” He slipped his bare feet into the flip-flops beside the door, grabbed his keys, and opened the screen door. He pulled the front door closed as he came out, locked it. “I’m glad you invited me, because it smells delicious.”
They started walking toward Anna’s trailer.
“It’s nothing special, just hamburgers and hot dogs, macaroni salad, some chips, some dip.”
“All of my favorite foods.”
“The macaroni salad is special. I went all the way to Kent’s Market for it, way up on Airport Road.”
“I’m familiar with Kent’s Market. He has a great deli. And he makes the best macaroni salad in the world.”
“Then you’ve had it.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Then you know what I mean.”
“I do.”
Anna had a small Webber Kettle barbecue. There were hamburger patties and hot dogs on the grill just waiting for him. He got a paper plate, put buns on it, then went to the Webber.
He saw Kendra, smiled and nodded once at her, then vowed to pay her no more attention for the rest of the evening. There were other people there, too, but he did not know them. He would wait for Anna to introduce them.
Anna lifted the lid and speared a hamburger patty with the long, two-pronged fork she held. She put the patty on a bun, then speared a hot dog and put it on the hot dog bun on his plate. A TV tray had been set up and condiments were arranged on it. He went to the tray and dressed his burger and dog. Another TV tray held the macaroni salad, chips, and dip. Reznick loaded up.
He held the plate on his left hand and ate with his right as he walked back to Anna. There was a round table under the trailer’s awning, and at that table sat a woman Reznick did not know. There were two kids playing catch with a ball in the small yard.
“Come here,” Anna said. “Let’s sit down at the table.”
Once they were seated, Anna said, “Marcus Reznick, this is my sister Rose Pasternak, and her children, Ramona and Bobby, playing catch over there.”
“Nice to meet you,” Reznick said with a smile.
“Good to meet you, too, Mr. Reznick.”
“Please, call me Marc.”
“Anna tells us you’re a private investigator.”
“That’s right.”
“I think that’s very exciting.”
“Well, it’s probably not as exciting as you think it is. Mostly it’s following people around and taking pictures. Kind of sleazy, if you ask me.”
“Is that what you do?” she said, tilting her head to one side. “You follow people around and take pictures?”
“In divorce cases, yes. When one spouse is looking to catch the other in an adulterous affair, yes, that’s what I do. And that’s mostly what I get these days, divorce cases.”
“Oh. So… it’s not like Magnum P.I., then, huh?”
He laughed. “No, I’m afraid not.”
Rose was older than her sister and not as attractive. She had a round face and was developing a double chin. Her dark hair was short and appeared coarse. Her eyes were set too close together, and her nose was too narrow and blade-like. And yet she was the one married to a husband who was providing for her while Anna, who was gorgeous, had to struggle on her own to support herself and her daughter. Why wasn’t Anna married? It didn’t make sense.
Reznick bit into his hamburger and made sounds of great satisfaction. He chewed for a while, then said, “Delicious. Really. Delicious. S’been a long time since I’ve had outdoor cooking like this. I’ve missed it.”
“I like to do it once in awhile,” Anna said. “Tonight, we’re celebrating.”