Ella carefully retrieved the eight-gigabyte USB from under the rusty can. “Hmm, this looks interesting.” She then picked up the laptop and carried it into the house. While the computer was booting up, she made herself a coffee. Out of curiosity, she’d just take a quick look, and then call a cab to take her back to Max’s place.
When she started sifting through the files, she found Kirk’s laptop contained all their old photographs. Ella sniffled as she sipped at her coffee. They had been happy—once. She drifted her fingers over the screen as she clicked from one photo to another. Kirk had a great personality. He was always smiling. Then he’d changed. He just didn’t want to continue with their marriage. Ella hadn’t, either. Besides, he was hardly there anyway. He spent most of his time abroad. They were only really together for about two months of each year. What was the point in prolonging a loveless marriage? In the end, they’d come to a decision to get a divorce. It had all seemed perfectly amicable at the time.
As she scanned the files she came across Joey’s e-mail address. Joey had been Kirk’s best buddy in the Marines. On the spur of the moment she decided to send him an e-mail, asking to see him when he next returned to the US. Joey had wanted to speak to her at Kirk’s funeral, but for one reason or another, he didn’t. Maybe she’d get to hear what he’d wanted to say. After writing a brief message, she sent the e-mail and then returned to checking the files.
There didn’t seem to be any indication as to Kirk’s lack of well-being on the laptop. There were no desperate pleas for help, or references to suicide in his e-mails. There was nothing depressive that pointed to a fragile emotional state. Ella plugged the memory stick into the USB port and waited for the files to load. She took a sip of coffee, cradling the warm mug in her hands for comfort. It may well prove a dead end, but there was no harm in looking.
Once the files had loaded, she scanned the folders. Most of it was copies of their photographs for safekeeping. There were pictures of their wedding day. They both looked so happy then. She couldn’t help but smile when she came across a selection of images from their memorable holiday in Hawaii some four years ago. They’d had a lovely, magical time. She sighed. How did it all go wrong? When she came across a folder named Kathy, she couldn’t resist clicking on it. Inside were more than fifty photos of a beautiful young woman in army fatigues. Aged about twenty-seven, and with golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail, she smiled back from every image. Her heart sunk when she noticed several pictures of Kathy and Kirk holding each other. In some of them, they were passionately kissing. They both looked so very happy together.
f*ck
.
When Kirk had returned from Afghanistan after his first tour of duty, she’d noticed he’d changed. He hadn’t come anywhere near her in the bedroom. She’d put it down to stress and fatigue, but each time he’d returned from active service after that, he’d been the same. She’d decided to confront him, asking him outright if he was seeing another woman. He’d denied it. The photographs said different. Why had he lied?
f*ck
.
She needed a drink. Her hands shook with anger as she stood and walked to the liquor cabinet. She poured herself a tequila, and then topped it off with fresh orange juice from the refrigerator. There were some personal e-mails in the folder, too. Dare she read them? Nothing could stop her now. Ella knocked back the tequila in one swallow, and then sat down at the computer. She wanted to know what that dirty little army slut and her husband had been up to. Feeling incredibly angry she opened the first one.
The message was perfectly friendly.
Kirk, I just wanted to thank you for a great evening. Let’s do it again, soon. Kathy xoxo.
Ella clicked on several more. Each message was slightly longer in length than the previous one, and becoming more intimate in their content. There were more than sixty communications in total. She moved forward a month, picking one at random.
Kirk, tomorrow I have something special planned for you. Forget about your wife back in the US. I’m here, and she isn’t. She doesn’t understand you like I do. She doesn’t know what makes you tick. She hasn’t shared what we’ve shared.
Just think, another week, and then we’ve got two days and nights to spend together. As soon as we get to the hotel, I shall enjoy stripping you naked. I’ll take my clothes off real slow, showing you just enough cleavage to get that big cock of yours rock hard. Then I’m gonna grind my p*ssy
down that beautiful shaft. I’m so wet thinking of how you’ll feel inside me. Believe me, you won’t need to spend hours trying to get me to come. I’m not unresponsive like your wife. I enjoy sex, as you’ve probably already noticed.
Unable to drag her gaze away, Ella continued reading. It was only when she closed the e-mail that she realized tears were streaming down her face. Not only had Kirk had an affair, he’d shared intimate details of their sex life with this bitch. He’d told the trollop she didn’t like sex. He’d confided in the whore, and it made her really angry.