Phil set his alarm for 8:00am. He wanted to go over the police file one last time before he called Veronica Cartwright and set up a time to visit her. Coffee and breakfast helped get his mind on what he wanted to ask. 

9:00am, and he dialed the number listed in the file. A man answered. Phil introduced himself and explained why he was calling, and asked to speak to Veronica Cartwright. The man on the other end of the line asked him to hold, and when the other end spoke, it was a female voice.

Introducing herself as the person he wanted to speak with, Phil introduced himself, and apologized for the intrusion. He explained why he was calling, and asked if he might be able to come talk with her. 

Veronica said that she told the police all she knew, but if it would help his investigation, a 12 noon visit would be perfect. Phil confirmed the address, said thank you, and hung up. He had a couple of hours to kill, so he got around to the four days worth of dishes in his sink.

While doing that, he went over in his mind what he wanted to ask, and how he wanted to ask it. If he appeared tentative, she would feed him any old answer and not think twice. If he was too direct, she would tell him anything to leave her alone. So to him, it was a delicate balancing act.

But at 11:30, he got into his car and headed for 11 Smith Drive. Traffic was a little heavier than usual, the result of a broken down truck. Once he maneuvered around it, it was a smooth drive to the hill on which Veronica Cartwright‘s home was located.

He pulled into her driveway. He saw a nondescript black sedan parked. Nothing outrageous, nothing exotic. The house itself was a modest one story ranch. Phil thought that if she had bumped Jack Wilson off for his money, she showed incredible restraint on her spending. 

Phil made his way to the door and knocked. A couple of seconds later the door opened. And Phil was surprised by what he saw. It was a small man, but his weight seemed to be proportional. He guessed that the guy opening the door couldn’t have been any taller than 4’ and weighed about 100lbs.

Phil introduced himself, and said that he had a 12:00 appointment to see Ms Cartwright. The man introduced himself as John and offered out his hand. Phil shook it, and felt bad for the guy as his hand totally engulfed the smaller man’s. He asked Phil to come in, and asked him to wait in the living room.

Phil made his way to the room, and used the wait time to look around. Everything was modest, no fancy or luxurious furniture or vases. He saw some frames in the corner, and was making his way to them when she entered the room.

Phil turned around. The lady standing in front of him was definitely the one from the picture. And that picture did not do her justice. She had incredible green eyes, and a face that made her a more beautiful version of Elizabeth Hurley. She was wearing a simple yellow dress, but with a front designed in such a way as to amplify her incredible chest. Phil thought her rack was better than any of the bimbos that he brought home. 

The lady introduced herself as Veronica Cartwright, and Phil did the same. He apologized for bothering her, explaining that he was looking into the disappearance of Jack Wilson, and thought that maybe since she was the last person to see him, could shed light on what happened. But as he was speaking, his eyes kept wandering down to her tits, and only had one thought, ‘My God, they were beautiful!’

He was having trouble keeping his mind focused on what he wanted to ask. He tried his best to keep his mind clear. It would be tough, but he thought he could do it. 

John had come back into the room, and Phil noticed the size difference between him and her. He barely came up to her tits. Phil asked her if John was her butler. Veronica smiled, and said that John was not her butler. He was her husband. That caused Phil to stare blankly for a few seconds, trying to digest her words. This green eyed beauty, married to a guy who only came up the bottom of her chest? 

Veronica went to her purse, and pulled out a long cigarette. Phil automatically grabbed his lighter from his jacket. He didn’t smoke, but all those divorce cases made him prepared. He would tail a lady, usually to a bar, and would light her cigarette and assume the role of sympathetic stranger while she talked, unaware that he was recording their conversation to be used against her. He didn’t feel bad, he needed the money.

He lit her cigarette. He found himself being hypnotized by the way she inhaled and exhaled, the smoke seducing him. She asked him to sit on the sofa, and then took a seat to the right. John brought her an ashtray. She gave him a kiss. The next thing she did made Phil feel like he was in an avant-garde French film.

Veronica patted her lap, and John climbed up and sat on her leg. Phil looked around to make sure there were no cameras filming. The scene in front of him was so obscenely outlandish that he thought he fell down the rabbit hole. Veronica had a cigarette in her left hand, cradled John with her right, and continued to have a normal conversation like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She told Phil that when she realized that Jack wasn’t going to return, she was depressed. She really loved him, but she wasn’t going to wait around. She met John at the park, and fell in love, and decided to marry him. Phil heard what she said, but the seductive way she smoked was making him horny as hell. She then apologized to Phil.

He asked her for what? She replied that she never asked him if he wanted a drink. Phil said it was fine, but if she had bourbon, he would gladly take a glass. Veronica told John to get a glass of bourbon. He got down off her lap and got the drink, giving it to Phil. Veronica then told him to go to the bedroom and wait until they were finished talking. John nodded his head, and as he turned to go, Veronica gave him a pat on the ass.

Phil knew that he had never witnessed a scene like that in his life. Not in person, not on tv or in a movie. It was an image that he would never be able to unsee.

 Veronica stubbed her cigarette out, and Phil took a sip of his drink. He became a little lightheaded, but the feeling quickly went away. He thought that the alcohol in the bourbon was probably a higher proof than he was used to. But he had questions.

He asked Veronica to describe her relationship with Jack. Veronica said they were very happy. She met him through his last wife, who was looking to partner up with her cosmetics firm in a charity. Jack knew the right people to make it happen. And they spent a lot of time together. One thing led to another. Phil said he understood. She got another cigarette, which he lit for her.

He asked her about the argument they had the night before he disappeared. Veronica said that they were at his cousin‘s wedding, and she had been bringing up marriage quite often. But Jack wasn’t ready for another one, and just got frustrated by her nagging, and just started yelling. Her voice got loud. They cooled down and made up. In fact they left early to go back to his house for a little “alone time”. Phil understood.

Phil asked about the next morning. Veronica said when she woke up, she noticed that Jack hadn’t been to bed. She went downstairs to talk to him, but found he wasn’t there. She looked and looked, but it was no use. She went out to the garage, and noticed his car was gone. She hasn’t seen him since.

Phil asked the standard question about enemies. Veronica inhaled deeply on her cigarette and told him that she couldn’t remember anyone having a serious issue with Jack. He was a businessman, and would usually upset a vendor trying to negotiate a better price, but there were no threats.

Phil finished his drink, and stood up. But he had to steady himself for a second as he was feeling lightheaded again. It quickly passed. He thanked Veronica for her time. He was still thinking about that scene earlier with her husband. He hoped to never see it again.

He went out to his car, got in, and drove back to his apartment. But as he was driving, he started feeling lightheaded again, though not like earlier. He thought that he needed to eat something. So he stopped at a deli and got a sandwich. 

Once back at the apartment, he ate, had several more glasses of bourbon, then felt really tired. So he laid down and as he was nodding off thought about how friggin sexy Veronica was. God, she was gorgeous. The way she smoked her cigarette was absolute perfection. They way…… and Phil was out cold.