Two and a half months prior
Mansfield had been saving the pictures he took of Leonard Driscoll and Lucy for nearly a month, waiting for some free time to present them to Susan Driscoll. Now that the burglary cases had been solved he had three days of comp time due to him. He had managed to occasionally check on Lucy’s house and witnessed Leonard picking her up at the same time on two different Friday evenings. Being on call at a moment’s notice from the Sheriff’s Department, he wasn’t able to risk the time to tail them back to Shreveport or to wherever they were headed for their rendezvous. However, he did manage to add a few additional snapshots to the collection.
Susan Driscoll answered on the third ring, “Driscoll residence, Susan speaking.”
“Mrs. Driscoll, this is Deputy Sheriff Mansfield from over in Claiborne Parish. I was hoping you could spare some time for a short meeting today. I have something to show you that you would be highly interested in seeing.”
“Is this some kind of crank call? What could you possibly have that I would be interested in?”
“Mrs. Driscoll, let me just say that your husband’s Friday night poker games are a bit more interesting than he would lead you to believe.”
“So, what did he do? Stop off at a strip club and have a lap dance or something?”
“Ma’am, I was going to wait to tell you until I showed you the photographs, but I’ll come right out and tell you that your husband has been in the company of a young woman every Friday night for the past five weeks.”
“You are really a deputy sheriff?”
“Yes, ma’am, you may call the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office and verify my employment there.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. How soon can we meet?”
“Well, ma’am if I leave home now I can be there in just over an hour. Where would you like to meet?”
“You can come to the house. Leonard will be at the store all day. Do you need directions?”
“No, ma’am, I have your address from your husband’s driver’s license information. I’ll see you in an hour.”
“Don’t get a speeding ticket, deputy.”
“I’ll try not to, ma’am, however I do have connections.”
The last picture was inching out of the photo printer as Mansfield ended the call to Susan Driscoll. He stuck the dozen pictures in an envelope and headed out the door. One hour and seven minutes later he pulled into the Driscolls’ driveway, walked up to the front door, and knocked.
Susan Driscoll answered the door wearing tight fitting designer jeans and a tucked in white cotton blouse. She had recently obtained a new, shorter hairdo at Angie’s Beauty Shop so her diamond pendant earrings accentuated her now bare neck. “Deputy Mansfield, I presume?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mansfield replied as he showed his badge. He was not in uniform and showed his badge to ensure his credibility. He was struck by Susan’s beauty and immediately wondered why her husband would want to cheat on her.
“Come in, Deputy Mansfield, and have a seat. I am anxious to see what you have in that white envelope.”
“Please call me Richard, ma’am,” Deputy Mansfield said as he entered the home. “Before I show you the photographs I think I need to explain how I came about taking them.”
“Richard, please call me Susan. Ma’am or Mrs. Driscoll sounds entirely too old.”
“OK, Susan, the woman in the photographs is the daughter of my boss, Sheriff Pettibone. I have been trying to date her for the past eighteen months but was always turned down. I had thought it was because she was not yet ready to start dating after the death of her husband in Iraq. The last time I asked her out she told me she was seeing someone else. When I found out who it was and that he was ten years older than her and married, it just wigged me out.”
“So, you followed them and took pictures for revenge?”
“No, not for revenge. I am still very interested in Lucy and only want the best for her.”
“You said her name is Lucy?”
“Yes, I did. Her married name is Chatham.”
“Lucy Chatham. I know who she is,” Susan said. “She has been doing some digital ad work for my husband’s furniture store. Well, Richard, let me see the pictures.”
Mansfield handed the envelope to Susan and watched as she viewed the photographs, one by one, pausing at the ones that showed the couple embracing. After viewing the photos, Susan sat back in her chair and said, “Richard, you have no shots of them entering a motel or hotel room. Did you happen to see them doing anything other than playing poker together?”
“On the two latest occasions that he came to her house she invited him in instead of them leaving together in his truck. I drove by her place three hours later and his truck was still in her driveway. As far as I could see the only light that was on was in the front entryway.”
“I see. He did come home quite late the last two Friday nights,” Susan replied showing little emotion.
Mansfield stood and said, “I am sorry that you had to find out like this, but I thought you needed to know. I’d better be leaving now.”
Susan arose and said, “Please don’t run off so soon, Richard. Can you stay and have a drink?”
“I suppose I can. I have the day off and have no need to hurry back home.”
“Wonderful! I’m in the need of a stiff martini. What would you like, Richard?”
“A cold beer would be just fine with me.”
Mansfield could hear Susan mixing her martini in the kitchen. He heard the refrigerator door open and close and recognized the familiar sound of a longneck being uncapped.
“In here, Richard,” Susan beckoned from the kitchen.
Susan turned to him as he entered the kitchen and he immediately noticed that the first few buttons of her blouse were undone revealing inviting cleavage.
She looked into his eyes, handed him his beer and said, “Please enjoy.”
He sensed the possible double meaning of her statement and said, “Susan, you are a very beautiful woman. For the life of me I can’t understand why your husband would be looking elsewhere.”
“Richard, some men just don’t realize when they have a good thing. In Leonard’s case, I think it is just temporary infatuation.”
“I believe I am becoming a little infatuated myself,” Mansfield said.
“I was hoping that would be the case,” Susan said as she set her drink on the counter, reached up and crossed her hands behind his neck, drew him close, and kissed him forcefully on the lips.
The kiss continued as Mansfield reached between their bodies, opened the remaining three buttons on Susan’s blouse, and pulled it up and out of her jeans. She withdrew only long enough to let the blouse fall to the floor as she looked longingly into his eyes. He drew her close once again and made quick work of unhooking the three clasps on the back of her bra.
With a light pleasurable moan Susan softly said, “Richard, I think we would much more comfortable in the bedroom.”
As she led him down the hall she thought to herself, What’s good for the gander is also good for the goose.