The Baker And The Queen Pin

Chapter 38.) Can I Really Trust You?

~~~Booker

There was something wrong with Maria, I could feel it. There was something wrong with the entire situation. Even though it was well into 2021, it was as if with the bug going around, everyone had lost their damn mind. Everyone had been the worst way they could be all day today but I knew it was just because of the pandemic. As I sit in the apartment, I turn on the TV and I think about how the kids and I get along, even better than what it was before but I also knew Keisha and I had to wonder.

What was the lie and what was the truth? Did she have a reason to lie to me? The truth of the matter is I felt like I could trust Maria with every fiber of my being. No matter what would happen, I knew she would have my back and I had to wonder what should I do? Should I ask Maria straight-up if she's hiding something from me? Why would she lie to me? She knew I was loyal and I would protect her from anything but there was something about Maria that still made me worry, something that I didn't want to think about and I know she knew how much I loved her.

I had to find out the truth and I had to know for myself. Would she really be honest with me if I asked her to? It's then that I hear my phone go off and I find myself asking another question. What if she doesn't want me to know the truth? What if she wants it firmly out of my sight? As I thought about it more, I then found myself saying, "I can't trust her," and I realized I'd have to start doing my own homework and that's what I had to accept.

For the first time in a while, I found myself unable to trust Maria. After a bit of time, I found myself, doing something dumb. I spent more money than I needed to but I did an internet search on Maria.  A few clicks later, I found more than I bargained for, her father, a man she said died was not only a dead man but how he died was a lie but I had to make a choice. I had to figure out why this man died from a gunshot wound to the head. He didn't die of cancer, he was executed so the real question is how much is she lying? What really happened? Why did he die like that? Every question I had bothered me, Maria is not what she seems. I remember what her father said and now it's time to get the truth. Who is she?

As I keep looking deeper, I learn more about Maria. She went to Russia to finish the rest of her formal training. She went to a Russian school and she dropped out of school in her senior year? I didn't understand, Maria was so intelligent and she was so business-savvy. She couldn't have dropped out of school. As I look more and more into her, I see different things but I also see nothing. After a certain point, her history is completely removed, almost as if someone had been deleting her life so I spent 87 dollars to find out that she dropped out of high school and her father was killed.

As I begin to stand up in disappointment, I think of something. Her father was an international criminal, I would need to do more in-depth investigations. I would need to hire a PI. As I began to go through private investigators, I began to think of something. Why would Maria tell me that her father died of cancer? What was I missing? As I began to go through each detail that I knew I could be missing, I notice something, something that I didn't think about. If Maria's hiding something from me, she's been hiding it from me for over a year.

As I take a deep breath, I prepare to make a call to a PI. As I think about it, I remember Kevin went missing a while ago, I and I was never close enough to have his phone number. Over time, I found myself, thinking about a PI I could talk to and then one came up. I see her name, Stacy. As I look at her, I knew it was rare for a female PI to be around but it was probably better. A woman was less suspecting.

As I begin to call the PI's office, I realize it was a cell phone. It rang for a few moments and then it answered. 'Hello? Stacy's PI service.' "Hello," I cough, "This is Booker Johnson. I'm calling because I'd like you to investigate someone." I say to her. 'Oh really? Well so you know, I take cash upfront and I'm not a fan of ex-wives.' I chuckle as I say, "Ex-wife? No, actually I need you to investigate my girlfriend and I have the cash up front."

As I chuckle, she says, 'Great. I'll be there soon after you provide me with the address, sir.' I give her the bakery's address and get ready to go. As I get ready to go, I find myself, wondering is this smart to waste my time, doing this, and then something in me says I'd be better off with this information. As I get ready to leave for the bakery, I find myself, drinking some coffee before I leave and as I begin to leave, I think about what's happened and then I say "This is important."

As I begin to leave, I run to the bank and withdraw a few hundred dollars. I hope her services are worth it.

~~~ Booker, Hours Later

As I begin to calm down and think about it, I think about her. I think about Maria and what she could do but I let it go. It wouldn't be foolish for me to think that she wouldn't hurt somebody if they wanted to know the truth but I need to be okay with this. "You kept me waiting.' I say to her.

She smiles as she says, 'I know. I wanted to see if you were serious,' "Ma'am, with all due respect, I do not have time for games. Please understand that this is important to me." 'I'm sorry. I should have understood that. I just got caught in traffic.' "Excellent." The whole reason why you're here is that I want you to investigate my ex-girlfriend. I feel like she has something to hide from me." 'Do you think she's cheating?' I say, "No. I just think that she's hiding something from me and I need you to investigate her. I've compiled an entire list for you to go through. I just want you to confirm what I already know."

'Okay.' As she looks at all the notes, she says, 'You really did your homework for her.' I nod as I say, "I just got information that I thought you would need." She says, 'Great, and do you have the payment ready?' I pull out a stack of 5 100s as I tell her, "This should be enough." 'A good client and has the money ready. Okay, it should take some time but we can definitely get all the information you need, Mr. Johnson.'

"Thank you." As she begins to leave out of the store, I smile but my heart dropped even further. What was I going to do? Maria, I love you but why do I have to do this? It's not her fault, it's mine. I should trust her but I don't. I take a deep sigh as I get ready to go meet her for our date.

End of Chapter: Can I Really Trust You?